Half of Brits fear stolen bank details

Close to half (48%) of residents in the UK are worried over their bank details or identity being stolen.

A recent study by software provider Intelligent Environments surveyed 2,000 residents and found that London has a higher proportion of victims of cyber crime than any other UK city. More than one quarter (27%) of London residents have suffered at the hands of cyber criminals. Norwich ranked second at 23%, with Bristol, Birmingham, and Manchester level at 21%.

Overall, 20% of Britons claim to have been affected by cyber crime, such as having bank details or their identity stolen. Survey respondents most worried about cyber crime are based in Birmingham, where 57% are concerned about having their bank details taken and 59% worried over identity theft.

Concerns over security are also preventing customers from using web-based services and digital banking applications. Almost a quarter (22%) do not trust digital banking applications and 12% have no confidence in web-based banking at all.

David Webber, managing director of Intelligent Environments, said:

“Of course, banking data is always going to be a primary concern as it’s particularly attractive to hackers. We’re therefore calling on banks to play a more active role in educating customers on how best to keep themselves and their financial information safe while they’re online.”

It may be some time before Britons feel more at ease with making transactions online, but UK companies could certainly make improvements to their security and build their reputation to put Britons at ease. They could start by looking at their IT security recruitment policy to ask if they are doing all they can personnel-wise.