Retailers should carry the can for online fraud

One in four UK consumers puts the blame for online fraud firmly on the retailer.

Online payment firm CyberSource's sixth annual Online Fraud Report reveals that 24 per cent of shoppers believe it is the retailer's responsibility to ensure their safety, with only half as many saying the consumer themselves should be responsible.

Banks (16 per cent) and ISPs (12 per cent) were also singled out as not doing enough to prevent fraud, while a further 12 per cent blamed the Government or card reader schemes.

"Consumers say they feel retailers are primarily accountable for making online shopping safer," said CyberSource managing director Simon Stokes. "But consumers themselves have a role in this effort, and they should be encouraged to play it."

Encouragingly though, of the 1,000-plus consumers questioned in the survey, 85 per cent said they looked for signs that a site was secure such as the green address bar before handing over their personal details.

More than two thirds said they used 3D Secure systems Verified by Visa and MasterCard SecureCode, and a quarter card readers.

However, despite these measures half of UK consumers still do not buy online, a figure that has only dropped slightly since 2007. The most common reason given was a preference for the "high street experience", though 41 per cent also said they were concerned about online security.

Even among those who do regularly shop online, trust remains an issue in fact, more than ever. Of the total sample, the number of consumers who said they were concerned about the level of risk involved actually increased from 66 per cent last year to 71 per cent this time around.

And mistrust of mobile phone-based payments is even higher. Three our of every four questioned said they would never use a mobile phone for online shopping, with. Indeed, Stokes claimed that until mobile payment services were better understood the public was unlikely to embrace them wholesale.

"Mobile payments mean different things to different people both merchants and consumers," Stokes said. "This may have contributed to a lack of understanding about the whole area. It will be interesting to see how consumer perceptions evolve as we move out of the early adopter phase and mobile payments become more mainstream."

Stokes added: "The introduction of new smartphone devices and technologies should also help to drive consumer acceptance."