15 February 2006
A ten-point guide to Internet safety has been published by telecoms giant BT this week.
The guidelines form part of a new report into Internet security, which has the backing of a number of organisations, such as the Metropolitan Police, Yahoo and Lloyds TSB.
After conducting extensive research into the public's awareness of Internet crime, the report found that at least one in ten people would still freely hand over their credit card details to an unidentified third party.
Internet scams are becoming increasingly common with the report finding that eight per cent of PC users in the UK have fallen victim to online fraud.
A further 15 per cent said they knew someone who had been scammed by an Internet fraudster.
Recent research from the Office of Fair Trading found that Britons lose approximately £1 billion per year to financial cons.
However, BT's guide aims to turn around this trend, offering simple advice to computer users such as safeguarding your password or not clicking on links in suspicious emails.
By taking basic precautions, BT hopes it can encourage more people to make the best use of the Internet, while steering clear of financial scams.
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