Thousands of Hotmail accounts hacked

Following the news that thousands of Hotmail accounts have been targeted in a phishing scam and details posted on pastebin.com, life assistance company CPP, warns consumers to change their passwords immediately, ensuring they are difficult to guess.

Research from CPP reveals that nearly half of Britons use the same login and password for their banking, shopping and social networking sites, meaning that if a fraudster has accessed their email, they could easily target bank accounts and commit identity fraud.

Further figures from CPP show:

1.7m people use the same password every time they go online, including email, social networking sites and even their online banking

One in ten people have had their web accounts accessed by fraudsters, with the majority of these attacks happening in the last year.

Webscams have reached epidemic levels with 77 per cent of people being targeted by online fraudsters through phishing emails

Michael Lynch, ID theft expert from life assistance company CPP, says: “It’s very concerning that a popular service like Hotmail could be easily targeted by cyberfraudsters. And the fact that thousands have responded to this particular phishing attack shows that people are not getting the message when it comes to online security.

“We urge all consumers to change their passwords frequently and remain vigilant about phishing and other online scams. Our research shows that millions use the same password every time they go online, so if you have fallen victim to this scam, the fraudster will have the keys to your entire online life. If you are concerned that your details have been compromised, you need to get in touch with your bank immediately.”