New research shows credit card scams hit 1 in 10 Brits, at a cost of £2.1billion a year
The revealing statistics demonstrate the changing face of fraud - which now takes place online more than anywhere else
MORE than four million people cancelled credit or debit cards due to fraud in the last year, a study reveals.
The revelation comes as a survey reveals 1 in 10 adults in the UK fell victim to scams that meant they had to replace their cards.
Money was successfully removed from accounts in 62% of cases, with an average of £475 stolen.
This equates to 4.5 million credit or debit cards being cancelled in the past 12 months.
According to comparethemarket.com, who carried out the survey, this means more than £2.1 billion was stolen in total.
Some 31% were defrauded while making online payments, while 10% saw their card duplicated at an ATM and 8% said they had been hacked while making a contactless payment.
Jody Baker, head of money at comparethemarket.com, said: "Most of the transactions we make now are digital and our research suggests that over a quarter of people carry as little as £10 in cash.
"With so many of us shopping and banking on the internet, combined with a rise in contactless payments, it is more important than ever to be vigilant when managing your money."
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He added that many criminals carry out small regular thefts on defrauded cards rather than large payments, as this will allow them to fly under the radar even as their thefts are visible to the card owner.
The findings add to evidence for the changing face of crime.
Nowadays it's more likely someone will be "mugged" online than in the street.