Internet fraudsters target Christmas shoppers

Christmas shoppers are being targeted by organised gangs of internet criminals in rackets worth tens of thousands of pounds, it was reported today.

Clearswift's November Spam Index, the most detailed analysis of spam email by a security provider, looked into more than 19,000 dubious emails. Its technical director Alyn Hockey said: "Already five to 10 per cent of all spam emails are Christmas themed."

Some fraud involves selling cutprice goods which never arrive or persuading people into giving passwords and credit-card details so they can rob their accounts.