Bitkom: number of phishing victims increased by 25 percent

Annual accounts 2007: 4100 cases with 19 million euro loss recorded

In the year 2007 are far more Internet users victims of fraudsters become Password: The number of phishing cases of online banking by 25 percent. This is apparent from an extrapolation of the high-tech association Bitkom, which is the current data Landeskriminalämter based.

Nationwide lifted criminals, according to Bitkom in more than 4100 cases around 19 million euros from accounts of victims. The combined total is around one quarter higher than in 2006. "The Geheimzahlenklau has increasingly sophisticated scams its previous peak," said Bitkom Bureau member Dieter Kempf at the presentation of the survey. Most of the victims reported Bavaria, Baden-Wuerttemberg and Berlin.

According to Bitkom is the first time since 2008 years, a decline of phishing figures. "The data for the first half of the year suggest that the number of victims fall," said Kempf. Since not all countries participating federal figures for this year would have called, but it was a preliminary forecast. Statistics and was even seen by half the numbers possible.

The average loss is the trade association that: Was it in 2006 and last year around 3700 euros, missing this year after each illegal transfer on average about 3200 euros. In some cases, had succeeded in fraudulent transfers to stop or money zurückzubuchen.

"In the arms race with the criminals for consumers, banks and the IT industry as something cheaper," says Kempf. "It is obvious fruits that the economy is always better security measures and offers the user fully informed." The Bitkom rich but the legal means against online fraud does not: So far, the Kontodatenklau not clearly prohibited - the police could often only become active if an injury existed. "Even the attempt must be punished hard. We urgently need a robust law against phishing."

The number of fraud attempts has also increased internationally: The Anti-Phishing initiative APWG registered in its latest statistics of December 2007 worldwide more than 25,000 attacks per month. The fraudsters maintained some 25,000 false banking websites, most of them in the U.S. (33 percent), China (22 percent) and Russia (9 percent). Only 3 percent of the fake sites were registered in Germany. "More stringent laws are only one of several tools against phishing," said Kempf. "The most important is the mesh of criminals to know and the latest protection methods to use."

One reason for the still growing number of phishing victims are always more efficient methods of fraud. Most fraudsters are no longer limited to simple e-mails with links to fake bank sites, where unsuspecting users enter their account information. According to Bitkom estimate send criminals in at least three out of four cases sent a "Trojan horse" - a malicious, ausspäht Passwords in the background and forwards. Another type of malicious users, the online banking secretly to counterfeit sites.

But not only the fraudster but also the banks have upgraded: transaction numbers (TAN) are usually no longer any use, but additional security hurdles coupled. Some banks increase the security with card readers. In future transfers could be made in the electronic identity card coverage, 2010, and chips using a secure Web services. Bitkom-One study found 55 percent of Internet users, the digital identity for online banking.