However, Gareth McAleese, assistant director of information services at the University of Ulster, said that people across Northern Ireland can take a few simple steps to ensure they do not fall victim to criminals using the internet.

His comments come as Which? magazine warned that the amount of personal information that is shared by companies or available online means that people could be at a greater risk of being targeted by fraudsters.

In particular, Mr McAleese said that people should not include details such as date of birth or PIN numbers when using the internet.

And he said that alarm bells should ring if people are requested to provide such details by a website.

"I think there is an awful lot more people online now so there are a lot more people being scammed," he said.

"Ultimately, people should be careful about which websites they give details to, such as credit card details and you should always remember that if it looks too good to be true then it normally is. Online scams are no different from ordinary scams in that sense.

"People are wary about giving details out over the phone, such as dates of birth or PIN numbers and it should be the same on the internet. Companies will not ask for these details as they already have them.

"If anyone has any concerns, they should contact the company involved and speak to them. Quite a lot of companies are taking this issue very seriously and they even provide information on their websites."

Which? magazine editor Neil Fowler was shocked to discover how much personal information about him was available on publicly accessible websites.

Using only his name and occupation, a researcher was able to track down private details including Neil's close family's names and the floorplans to his home, including access points.

Fraudsters can use the internet to gather personal information, and then use this knowledge to trick people into revealing PINs, passwords or other security information.

Mr Fowler said: "It was a real shock to see how much personal information about me could be found online, which could potentially be used by crooks to commit fraud. We all need to take steps to protect our data - both online and offline - by being more aware of how our personal data could be used and taking care who we share it with."

The Which? checklist to reduce your risk of ID theft and fraud

> Regularly check your credit file to check it's accurate

> Check bank and credit card statements to make sure there are no unfamiliar transactions

> Cancel lost or stolen cards immediately

> Use a shredder to get rid of documents you don't need

> Never give personal or bank details to anyone who contacts you unexpectedly

> Don't use the same password for more than one account

> Make sure you have up-to-date security software installed on your computer.

> Don't tick 'yes' to share your details with third parties

> Give away only the minimum details on social networking sites and make sure you understand the privacy settings