Identities are cheap, says report

You may be surprised to find out that most cybercriminals place little value on your credit card details or online banking login.

According to a survey by security firm Symantec, the average Brit believes that his or her personal data is worth up to £1,000 to cybercriminals.

However, these details actually trade for very little, with email addresses sold for a few pence and a full identity for about £45, Symantec said.

One of the main factors enabling cybercriminals to freely trade in stolen identities was their control over armies of infected computers, otherwise known as 'bots'.

"Many victims never realise their computers are being used by cybercriminals, but the harmful effects still impact on all of us - zombie computers are the main source of online fraud, spam and other scams on the internet today," said Professor Lillian Edwards, internet law specialist at Sheffield University.

An identity is stolen every three seconds online - Symantec compared this to crimes committed on the streets of London, with one occuring every 37 seconds.

The survey also found that of the 1,289 people questioned, a quarter had been a victim of identity theft.