Report suggests UK is 'card fraud capital of Europe'

More than seven millions people in the UK (19% of the population) have fallen victim to card fraud, according to a report by the European Security Transport Association (ESTA), a non profit organisation representing cash industry logistics businesses throughout Europe.

The research found that nearly 20% of the adult population in Great Britain has been targeted as part of a credit or debit card scam. The report suggests that Britons are almost twice as likely to become a victim compared to seven other European countries polled as part of the survey.

In all, 11% of Europeans taking part in the research said they had been hit by card fraud, which equates to around 22.8 million people.

32% of credit card fraud victims are never reimbursed by their bank

The report says that nearly a quarter of British consumers returned to cash as their preferred form of transaction after being hit by credit card fraud.

ESTA spokesman Mike Bowen said: ‘It is incredible how many people across Britain have fallen victim to card fraudsters and unsurprising that so many victims favour a return to cash.

‘Indeed, a separate study by the European Commission has found that almost a third of card fraud victims are never reimbursed for their loss by their card provider, despite claims to the contrary by banks.’ (EU EuroBarometer Research in 2005 stated that 32% of victims of credit card fraud did not receive their money back).

Esta is calling for the retention of cash as a payment at a time when financial institutions across the continent are pushing for greater use of non-cash payments.

Mr Bowen said: ‘Consumers should have the freedom to choose how they pay and should not be dictated to by banks and regulators looking to increase revenues from electronic transactions.’

ESTA warns that consumers are gradually being forced to pay electronically but that there are insufficient safeguards in place to protect consumers from electronic fraud.


Electronic card fraud league table
Proportion of population that has been a victim of electronic card fraud

1. GB 19%
2= France 10%
2= Spain 10%
3= Germany 9%
3= Holland 9%
3= Belgium 9%
4= Italy 8%
4= Sweden 8%