Rise in internet bank fraud

A YEAR-ON-YEAR study found a 30% increase in the number of fraudulent debits from people’s bank accounts.

Half of these were carried out on the internet, using people’s bank or credit card information or log-in information like passwords and user names. The rise is thought to be linked to more people buying online.

Seven out of 10 households affected reported discovering the frauds when checking their bank statements, but most did not know how fraudsters could have obtained their information. Only half reported the crimes.

Sometimes the thefts involved fairly small sums which could be overlooked – 27% were amounts under €100, 25% were €100-300, 29% were €300-1,000 and 19% above €1,000.

The study of 17,000 people, by national statistics body Insee and crime trends body ONDRP, was based on 2011 data, compared to 2010.