13 November 2008
One in five British children have secretly shopped online using their parents' credit cards, according to a new survey carried out on behalf of the life assistance firm CPP.
The research shows that on average, youngsters buy goods over the internet without their parents' knowledge seven times a year, spending around £25 each time.
Some 70% of children said they know which sites their parents use to shop and one-fifth said they know the passwords their mums and dads use to log in.
However, when questioned, just 2% of parents believed their children could have bought items online without their consent.
Michael Lynch, card expert at CPP, said: "We are urging parents to be very vigilant with their bank card details, and to make sure they supervise children's internet use."
He advised mums and dads to make they log out fully when leaving shopping sites and to avoid saving their credit card details online, not only to prevent their children from accessing them but also to reduce the risk of credit card fraud.
According to the UK payments association Apacs, losses from telephone, internet and mail order shopping fraud now account for 54% of all card fraud losses.