Over half of all consumers (54%) feel that banks and building societies aren't doing enough to protect them from credit and debit card fraud, according to the results of a survey published today.

Although the survey (conducted last month) didn't quiz members of the public on the Chip and PIN programme, a serious omission in our view, it still provides some insight into public perceptions about credit card fraud.

The chip and PIN system is designed to guard against credit card fraud by requiring customers to tap in a four digit number - rather than signing a payment slip - when paying for their goods. The system is currently on trial in Northampton but will be nationwide by 2005, as credit cards wiith embedded smart cards are issued throughout the UK.

Depending on your point of view, this is either a great leap forward in the fight against fraud or a scheme that will shift the burden of proving fraud has taken place onto consumers while moving criminal scams from the high street onto the Internet.

But we digress.

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