The 21-year old man from Lytham St Anne's in Lancashire is accused of "phishing", the scam that tricks users into revealing their bank account details to a false website.

Officers from the National Hi-Tech Crime Unit (NHTCU) and Lancashire Constabulary arrested the 21-year old man, following a tip-off from internet bank Smile in March 2004.

According to the NHTCU, the British man is not connected to the organised crime group that is behind the mass global scams targeting bank users in countries including Australia, the US and the UK.

Len Hynds, head of the NHTCU, said: “The message is clear, do not try this at home, we will find you. Anybody who thinks that they can copy a scam and get away with it is sorely mistaken. People are entitled to their identity on the internet without fear that it can be stolen by criminals.”

According to a Federal Trade Commission (FTC) survey, one in eight web users were victims of email scams in the past five years. It warns that people who use email or access the internet need to be aware that they could be the next victim of a fraudulent scam.

The FTC has listed five top actions you can take to protect yourself from becoming the next victim which include; assume all emails are suspicious, never respond to unsolicited emails, avoid providing your email address, report suspicious emails and get a free Hotmail or Yahoo email account that can be changed periodically.

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