Most internet and online banking customers leave themselves open to fraudsters by using predictable passwords, new research claims.

More than three-quarters of people surveyed used words that could be easily guessed.

Only one in five had passwords consisting of a combination of random letters and numbers, according to Visa Europe.

The group warned that people could be putting their security at risk, as personal information was often easy for hackers to obtain or guess.

Monday August 16, 2004