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Get Safe Online's latest research reveals people are more afraid of internet crime than 'physical' crimes such as burglary, being mugged and having their car stolen. Asked to choose the type of crime they felt most exposed to, from a list, 21 per cent of people said they felt most at risk from internet crime compared with just 17 per cent last year.

Internet crime is now second only to credit card fraud as the crime feared most by UK citizens. The fear of becoming a victim of credit card fraud fell, however, from 40 per cent to just 27 per cent.

Seemingly, the fear of identity theft is impeding the development of online banking and other services in the UK. According to the survey, 24 per cent of respondents have been put off Internet banking, more than a fifth won't do their financial management online or won't shop online and one in six has been put off using the Internet all together because of the fear of online crime.