Card fraud has affected more than seven million people in the UK, figures show.

Research from the European Security Transport Association (Esta) found that nearly 20 per cent of the adult population in Great Britain had been targeted as part of a credit or debit card scam.

It makes the UK the card fraud capital of Europe, with citizens almost twice at risk of becoming a victim compared to adults in seven other European countries polled as part of the survey.

Mike Bowen, spokesman for Esta, said: “It is incredible how many people across Britain have fallen victim to card fraudsters and unsurprising that so many victims favour a return to cash.”

A separate study by the European Commission found that almost a third of card fraud victims are never reimbursed for their loss by their card provider, despite claims to the contrary by banks.

Esta is calling for the retention of cash as a payment at a time when financial institutions across the continent are pushing for greater use of non-cash payments.

Mr Bowen said: “Consumers should have the freedom to choose how they pay and should not be dictated to by banks and regulators looking to increase revenues from electronic transactions.”