Seventy nine per cent of Brits are concerned about online ID theft, according to the Consumer Insights Study: Fraud and Identity released by Jumio and conducted by Harris Interactive. Of those, 82 per cent were specifically worried about fraudulent activity on their credit card or bank account.

“With Britain leading the way in e-commerce in Europe with a turnover of 96 million Euros in 2012 (Germany a distant second with 50 million Euros) it is frustrating that the industry still faces serious issues of payment and identity fraud,” says David Pope, marketing director at Jumio in Europe. “It is testament to the British people that so many of them are aware of online security pitfalls – but what is worrying is the lack of infrastructure to tackle ID fraud in the UK. While most merchants realise that fraud is a major problem, they need to look at their role in prevention, including taking the necessary steps to confirm that a person conducting a transaction is actually who they say they are.”

The study also finds that many Brits are receptive to electronic and remote ID verification. Although the UK has no requirement for a formal ID card, as found in other countries in Europe and the USA, 38 per cent of GB adults would in principle prefer to carry and display a digital image of their driver licence/ID on a smartphone as opposed to carrying their ID in the traditional way.

Share Story: