Online banking customers and debit and credit card holders who shop online now have a new weapon in the battle against online fraud.
IT solution firm Experian has published guidelines for online banking customers and debit and credit card holders to protect them against web fraudsters.
The new guide offers 13 tips for those who make use of internet banking and online shopping.
It warns that people should install reliable programs on their PCs to offer protection against computer viruses and spyware installations.
Firewalls, backup CDs of important data and selective use of WiFi and Bluetooth should also protect people from criminal intruders, Experian suggests.
Internet banking customers and online shoppers who use debit and credit cards are also advised to ignore emails from people they don't know,
Online fraudsters are becoming smarter, warns Jill Stevens, director of consumers affairs for Experian.
She warns that as more people to choose online banking to manage their finances and as online shopping becomes more convenient, "cyber criminals become cleverer at finding ways to relieve us of our personal information".
Last year, consumers lost £117 million to online fraud.









