Recession increases fraud fear for UK citizens
A security survey released today has shown UK citizens are more afraid of fraud and identity theft since the recession hit.


Almost three-quarters (72 per cent) of UK citizens believe they are more at risk from identity theft and related crimes such as credit card fraud, thanks to the arrival of the recession.
So claims the Unisys Security Index, released today, which surveyed more than 8,500 people in nine countries including the UK.
The report also showed that 88 per cent of consumers are concerned about other people obtaining and using their credit card, debit card or bank account and a further 88 per cent are concerned about others gaining unauthorised access to or misusing their personal information.
Neil Fisher, vice president of global security solutions at Unisys, said in a statement: "It is very interesting to see that fraud fears have deepened as a result of the financial crisis. The current economic climate is forcing many companies to cut costs but a real or perceived drop in spending on security can have a major impact on consumer confidence."
In the UK, consumer confidence has significantly dropped. Last year 46 per cent of UK citizens were concerned about their ability to meet essential financial obligations but this has now jumped to 58 per cent, according to the research.
There has also been a rise in fears about computer security with 69 per cent of UK respondents saying they are concerned and 65 per cent said they are worried about their safety and security when shopping or banking online.
"Robust security procedures to protect against online fraud and ID theft are crucial to ensuring customer confidence, particularly with regards to online shopping and banking," added Fisher.
Get the ITPro daily newsletter
Sign up today and you will receive a free copy of our Future Focus 2025 report - the leading guidance on AI, cybersecurity and other IT challenges as per 700+ senior executives
"Now is not the time for UK plc to take its eye off the ball when it comes to keeping customers safe and protected."
Jennifer Scott is a former freelance journalist and currently political reporter for Sky News. She has a varied writing history, having started her career at Dennis Publishing, working in various roles across its business technology titles, including ITPro. Jennifer has specialised in a number of areas over the years and has produced a wealth of content for ITPro, focusing largely on data storage, networking, cloud computing, and telecommunications.
Most recently Jennifer has turned her skills to the political sphere and broadcast journalism, where she has worked for the BBC as a political reporter, before moving to Sky News.
-
LaunchDarkly to "double down" on observability with Highlight acquisition
News Highlight's observability tools will be integrated into LaunchDarkly's Guarded Releases software deployment service
By Daniel Todd
-
Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 FE review
Reviews The Tab S10 FE retains the feel and core capabilities of Samsung's high-end S10 tablets, but compromises on the display and the performance
By Stuart Andrews
-
FBI warns scammers are using cryptocurrency ATMs to siphon cash
News Criminals will stay on phone with victims as they make payments, says advisory
By Danny Bradbury
-
Hackers fake DocuSign and offer fraudulent signing methods
News Criminals impersonate the e-signing company to steal credentials
By Rene Millman
-
Account takeovers rise nearly threefold during pandemic
News Financial services hit hardest by account hijackers, says Sift report
By Danny Bradbury
-
Cyber criminals leak one million credit cards on the dark web
News Among the stolen hoard are customer details from US and Canadian banks
By Rene Millman
-
SentiLink raises $70 million for its identity verification platform
News SentiLink’s ID Theft Score helps businesses combat synthetic fraud
By Praharsha Anand
-
Content fraud levels continue to rise in 2021
News The pandemic has ushered in a new level of scams and misinformation
By Danny Bradbury
-
What is DMARC and how can it improve your email security?
In-depth Protect your customers and brand rep with this email authentication protocol for domain spoofing
By Gabriella Buckner
-
FTC warns of rising cryptocurrency fraud
News Marked rise in cryptocurrency losses began just as pandemic took hold
By Danny Bradbury