Microsoft targets phishers

Microsoft is taking legal action against 104 people in Europe, the Middle East and Africa suspected of online fraud through phishing.

The action is part of a multi-pronged attempt by the software giant to target cyber-criminals.

At least seven of the people behind the fake websites that trick people into handing over confidential information are in the UK.

Microsoft said it has already had 4,744 phishing sites worldwide taken down, and in the US last spring it filed 117 phishing lawsuits.

The company said Internet Explorer 7, due later this year, will include a Phishing Filter that identifies and warns customers about potential risks online.

It is estimated that losses from online phishing scams in the UK cost £23.2m in 2005.

According to research commissioned by AOL UK, one in 20 Brits has lost money to an online scam.

Neil Holloway, president of Microsoft Europe, Middle East and Africa, said: “Phishing is a crime. It undermines consumers’ trust in the internet and is an impediment to European policy-makers’ and industries’ efforts to boost citizens’ use of innovative and valuable internet services.”