A survey conducted by an online payment company has shown that Hong Kong people are comfortable enough about making online payments, but are vulnerable to fraud artists operating on the Internet.

"A lot of people do not change their passwords after logging in personal accounts with public computers. Sometimes they don't log out when they leave," said Ko Wai-tak, a consultant with the IT Industry Development Division of the Hong Kong Productivity Council.

"As Hong Kong people spend more and more of their professional and personal time online, it is imperative that we work together to spread more awareness about online risks and help people safeguard themselves against fraud," said Mok Nai-kwong, chairman of Internet Society Hong Kong, an international NGO.

The research commissioned by Paypal, an international online payment service, was designed by City University of Hong Kong.

"Users usually don't have a strong awareness of security in online activities," said Tse Woon-kwan, a professor at the Department of Information Systems of the university.

The survey also found online shoppers had bad habits including using a single password for multiple accounts and changing passwords rarely.

The survey found about 70 percent of the respondents use the same password for different accounts.

About 60 percent admitted they had never changed the password or only did so when required. The respondents have seven accounts on average, according to the survey.

More than 67 percent respondents said they will use their mobile phones or devices to make online payment for the sake of "convenience, efficiency, timeliness and accessibility".

"Smartphones will replace personal computers as the most used tool to gain access to the Internet in the near future," said Ko.

"However, many applications downloaded using smartphones are high-risk. Few people have anti-virus software on their smartphones," said Ko.

The survey interviewed 1,200 consumers, mostly aged between 22-39, in August.

stushadow@chinadailyhk.com

China Daily

(HK Edition 08/24/2011 page1)