Nearly one in eight UK surfers were a victim of online fraud in the last year, with personal losses averaging £875.

Of the 29 million UK adults who use the internet, 1.7 million suffered some kind of online shopping fraud and 1.2 million were a victim of banking or credit card fraud on the net.

A report from the Get Safe Online campaign revealed that these shockingly high numbers were a result of poor awareness of how to use the internet safely, especially when it comes to buying goods online.

Pat McFadden, Minister with responsibility for Transformational Government, said: “We need users to take the same basic precautions in using the internet as they would when making transactions in the high street.

“Although the internet offers great opportunities for people to carry out their business when and how they like, people must also take care if we are to stop criminals abusing greater popular use of the net,” continued McFadden.

Around 93 per cent of people in the UK use the internet on a daily basis and less than half of those questioned for Get Safe Online's Internet Safety: The State of the Nation report thought that they were responsible for their own online safety. Sixteen per cent thought it was up to their bank to protect them from online fraud, and 13 per cent believed that the responsibility lay with their ISP.

“Although many organisations will provide a means to recover lost money, ultimately there are simple steps people can take that can reduce the risks in the first place,” said Garreth Griffith, a director of the Get Safe Online campaign and head of trust and safety at eBay.co.uk.

Seventy-eight per cent of respondents to the survey also said that online safety should be taught in schools.

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