ΜΕΣΑ ΚΟΙΝΩΝΙΚΗΣ ΔΙΚΤΥΩΣΗΣ ΚΑΙ ΗΛΕΚΤΡΟΝΙΚΟ ΕΓΚΛΗΜΑ

BERLIN (AP)

German federal police say the country saw a nearly 20 percent rise in cybercrimelast year, causing euro61.5 million ($89 million) in damage.

Federal Criminal Police Office chief Joerg Ziercke said Thursday that the number of cybercrime incidents rose to 59,839 in 2010 from 50,254 in 2009.

The increase is linked to greater consumer use of the Internet for banking and purchases.

Police say nearly half the incidents are classified as "computer fraud" — including phishing scams and the use of stolen credit-card numbers.

Particularly strong was the rise in phishing linked to online banking, which was up 82 percent to 5,300 incidents and has prompted many banks to institute new security measures for customers.