I've just been informed that 'harvesting' information is also a technical term, so my apologies for using the word in the traditional sense to mean 'gathering'.

I want to clarify a couple of points. When selling items online, the buyer/winning bidder receives the seller's contact details - name, address etc - in order to send payment. Many websites display these details openly.

If a buyer / winning bidder then offers to pay via bank transfer, those bank details are requested from the seller. As soon as these are provided, the buyer / winning bidder has enough information to set up a direct debit on that account (if it allows debits to be made). Banks and building societies do not check for signatures on mandates, these can be set up remotely and electronically.

I am sorry that some find the above facts disturbing, to say the least, but there is absolutely no getting away from the fact that this scam is going on right now and that certain sites in particular are, WITHOUT DOUBT, being targetted.

The following is an updated list of company names that could show up as fraudulent direct debits:

Allianz
B Mid
Cornhill
eSure
Halifax
Liverpool Vic
Zurich

You'll notice these are all insurance companies.