Credit card fraudsters are developing new methods of conning consumers, such as booking last minute airfares, one industry expert has said.

According to electronic payment and risk management solutions provider CyberSource, when a ticket is booked more than 48 hours in advance there is a greater chance of the credit card company cancelling it.



Therefore, online fraudsters are now avoiding this practice.

The firm gave an explanation of online fraud for consumers' use.

A spokesperson for CyberSource said: "Fraud in the airline sector means that someone has used card information obtained illegally to buy tickets.

"They would then use these tickets themselves or sell them to others, pocketing the cash generated."

Last month, CyberSource published a study on the impact of online fraud on the airline industry and found that worldwide the sector lost millions to online fraudsters in 2008.

This figure accounts for about 1.3 per cent of worldwide airlines' online revenue

Overall, the website booking revenue was down 1.3 per cent because of this illegal practice and half of the airlines surveyed said they had suffered at the hands of fraudsters.

Dr Akif Khan, head of client and technical services at CyberSource, said: "This form of crime is of paramount concern to our airline customers and to us.

"We hope this study will enable all who care about the industry to better understand fraud, its implications and possible solutions."

Another study entitled The State of Retailing Online 2009, was conducted by the digital division of the National Retail Federation and published earlier this month.

It found that 30 per cent of companies are spending less than originally planned on web retail operations this year.

However, four out of five retailers thought the web is better suited than other channels to withstand the recession, despite the threat of online credit card fraud.

CyberSource warned that those planning to spend online ought to be aware of the different tactics criminals are employing to get their hands on their money.

The spokesperson said: "Another tactic employed by fraudsters relates to the type of booking.

"We have seen higher fraud rates on bookings when the cardholder is not travelling on the flight. Similarly, fraud rates on one-way journeys are higher than those for return tickets."

Those who suspect their credit card has been used fraudulently can get in contact with their card provider to cancel the account and thereby freeze any criminal activity taking place.

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