If Coronation Street's Gail McIntyre had been more security savvy, she would not have fallen victim to conman Lewis Archer’s £40,000 internet banking scam. That's according to PayYourWay.org.uk, the Payments Council’s consumer education campaign

This week in the long running show, soap swindler Lewis secretly prints off Gail’s bank details from her computer before blackmailing her daughter-in-law, Kylie, into revealing her mum’s log-in and password. He then uses this information to withdraw £40,000 from Gail’s account.

Gail isn’t alone in failing to keep her online banking details safe. A Pay Your Way survey revealed that one in three people admit sharing online login details with someone else. Even more people – three out of every four – use the same password for more than one online account. But the Payments Council has little sympathy for hapless Gail, noting that it would have been possible for her to avoid her fate by following some simple security advice: don’t tell anyone else your password(s), and if you need to write it down, disguise it in a way only you understand. The age of Facebook and Twitter also means more of our lives than ever are public knowledge, so it’s always worth asking yourself ‘could anyone else know this answer?’ if you use any personal details as responses to security questions.

Adrian Kamellard, chief executive of the Payments Council, says:: “Internet banking is a really quick, convenient way to manage your money and millions of people use it safely every day. Innocent fraud victims get excellent legal protection but Gail’s story is a reminder of how important it is to keep your security details secure.”

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