17 September 2007
HSBC has reassured online banking customers about the safety of using the web as a new report highlights the growing trend of hi tech crime in the UK.
The firm insisted that "multiple security layers" are in place online to protect banking customers from fraud. Indeed it added that online security should not be a great concern so long as security systems are in place on personal computers.
The news comes as a new report uncovered that bank details and credit cards are being sold online by cyber criminals.
According to the study into internet security by security firm Symantec, criminals are also selling software which can be used to attack websites.
Commenting on the issue, Nick Staib, spokesperson for HSBC, said: "Online banking shouldn't be any riskier than doing the normal things you do on the internet.
"People are concerned about internet banking but banks…do an awful lot behind the scenes to keep people safe.
"There is a lot more going on under the surface - it's a bit like an iceberg. So the tip of the iceberg is the bit that you see as a customer and underneath that there are multiple security layers that protect you. "
Recent figures from APACS show the number of people using online banking has soared in recent years.
Since 2001, the number of adults in the UK using online banking has increased by 174%.
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