Do you shop on the Internet? Of course you do.

The UK's internet shopping market is estimated to be worth more than £42 billion this year, with more than 26 million people set to buy online, according to the industry body for e-commerce.

But be warned. The Mail talks of a “Wild West” culture on the web. The Mail will always dwell on the darker side of the boom. But there is some truth in the scaremongering.

The Lords science and technology committee will today accuse Internet service providers and software manufacturers of a “laissez faire” attitude to online security.

The committee talks of the Internet being a “playground for criminals”. The Mail talks of personal details, including credit card details, on sale for £1 a go.

Last year, losses from online fraud reached £33.5million. And £117.1 million was defrauded using stolen credit card numbers on the Internet.

That sounds a lot. But it isn’t so bad. The UK's internet shopping market is worth more than £21.4 billion, with more than 20 million people buying online in the last year, according the Office of Fair Trading (OFT).

And as the Guardian reports:

Last year, fraud committed abroad on UK-issued cards totalled £118.2m, an increase of £36m on the previous year, according to the UK payments association Apacs.

The jump in overseas fraud has been due in part to more travellers opting to use their credit and debit cards on trips abroad. Last year £23bn was spent on cards abroad.

These figures are similar enough to the online numbers to draw a comparison. And the impression is that the Internet is just an extension of the Faliraki High Street.

Of course, more can be done. And it is the politicians job to construct a plan to combat crime. And to hype the problem only they can solve.

As Crossbench peer Lord Boers, chairman of the committee, says: “You can’t just rely on individuals to take responsibility for their own security. They will always be outfoxed by the bad guys.”

Indeed, if you buy over the web, the onus is not on you to combat fraud but the duty of the banks, credit card companies and software companies. The vendor must also ensure they treat your details with care.

Keep track of purchases – use a pen and paper in case your computer crashes and details are lost, or forward details to a web-based mail service, such as gmail. And check your credit card bill.

The Internet is no Wild West. It’s just a more transparent and competitive version of the High Street…

Biting mouse [via Business Week]

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