87 per cent of online crime generated via auction sites

NEWS At least 34 per cent of surfers have been victims of a security breach, though the report claims that most 'dot-cons' are offline scams carried out via the internet. Online auction sites generate most e-crime with an 87 per cent share. This is followed by a paltry eight per cent for credit card fraud and identity theft. Security expert Mathew Pembale, a consultant at systems testing and development company IS Integration, said: "There is no particular reason why online auctions should be more vulnerable to crime. The big problem with auction sites is there is a great deal of trust involved. Non-contact auction mechanisms are exploitable." Adil Pastakia, MD of network vulnerability auditing provider Qualys, said: "Security is always thought about at the last minute. When building websites, work from the ground up or vulnerabilities won't get detected." Pembale said: "Shoppers just don't check their credit card statements properly. People should have separate cards for online purchases. It's worth going for a credit card which is blatant about covering e-fraud."