Internet chiefs target fake discount vouchers

INTERNET watchdogs today launched a crackdown on fraudulent use of online vouchers.

Legitimate vouchers, circulated via email, give customers special offers and discounts at retailer's websites and are becoming more popular. Internet searches using the keyword "vouchers" have increased 12-fold in three years.

But there has also been a rise in fake vouchers that lead internet users to sites where personal details, such as bank information and passwords, can be copied. Justin Pearse, of the journal New Media Age, said: "There are a lot of unethical people using [fake vouchers] as part of scams. Something had to be done."

The Internet Advertising Bureau, which oversees online marketing in Britain, has created a code of conduct telling members to state what users will receive and how long offers last.

Firms will not be able to advertise unless they sign up, so criminals will be frozen out.

The fraudsters "clone" a retailer's site. When users click on the fake voucher, they are taken to this site, and prompted for login or credit card details, which the criminals then use to carry out identity theft.

Carole Therault of anti-virus firm Sophos said: "They are using the credit crunch to con people."