A study from Forter has found that although it is now much harder for cybercriminals to subvert online payments for their own ends, this has not necessarily made the web a safer place for consumers. Instead, the fraudsters have refocused their efforts elsewhere, seeking to exploit vulnerabilities in e-commerce accounts themselves rather than the payment solutions used to process transactions.

Internet Retailing reports that there has been a 12 per cent increase in the amount of money generated by web-based fraud, with the diversification of malicious strategies forcing consumers to become more alert to the different methods which might be used against them.

Analysts found that there was an 89 per cent increase in fraud relating to retailer loyalty programmes in the past 12 months, while scams involving click and collect services were up by almost a quarter over the same period.

It is not just genuine user accounts that are being targeted: cybercriminals are also increasing their efforts to use stolen personal information to create new accounts in the names of their victims on services that they have never used before.

Study spokesperson Michael Reitblat said that this trend for a more varied approach to digital fraud was indicative of just how secure payment solutions were becoming, since scammers are looking for other means of earning their keep.

The good news is that it is still possible to carry out safe shopping online so long as consumers are aware of these evolving risks and are willing to take the necessary precautions to prevent their data being exposed in a way that might lead to further issues down the line.

The rise in fraud in certain categories was offset by a fall in fraud in the purchase of digital goods, hotel rooms, beauty products and even home and garden ware.