Money
Managing your money
Domestic fraud fears widespread
Nearly half of British adults do not trust fellow householders with their credit or debit cards
According to research by YouGov, one in three British adults store their cards in a place easily accessible by co-habitees - leaving them open to the risk of domestic fraud.
Domestic fraud is where an individual is defrauded by someone they live with. This could be family, lodgers, visitors or housemates. This can often happen online, where all that is needed is access to the victim's cards to make unauthorised purchases.
But not enough householders are taking adequate steps to protect themselves from the risks.
Research has shown that 22 per cent of people actively reveal their credit cards details to others, allowing co-habitees to use their cards to buy goods or services on the web. Not only is this group at greater risk, but by revealing personal information such as PIN numbers and security codes, they are not covered against fraud by the card issuer.
Children are particularly vulnerable to the risk of running up bills on the internet, due to the lure of heavily-marketed online shops and services.
"With one in five people finding themselves or someone they know a victim of domestic fraud it is clear that we need to raise awareness of the simple steps that can be taken to prevent this type of cyber crime," said Raj Curwen of the So Protect Me website, who commissioned the YouGov survey.
"Tools like the Payment Blocker - which protects PC users from unauthorised online purchases - can go a long way towards reducing the risk of being defrauded by a co-habitee, and can be set up in minutes.
"It can also protect children, who often do not understand the ramifications, from making online purchases by blocking all attempts to purchase online on a child's PC."
* The Payment Blocker costs £14.99 and is available from Monday November 19 at www.SoProtectMe.com
