Forty two per cent of people say their trust in a brand is "greatly reduced" if they received a phishing email claiming to be sent from that company, according to research from YouGov.

And only a quarter feel that they are responsible for protecting themselves from phishing attacks – even though the sucess relies on user ignorance.

Phishers are experts in exploiting the gaps in responsibility, said security specialist Cloudmark technology chief Neil Cook.

"Phishing is a highly sophisticated and well orchestrated form of crime – the knock-on effect on brands will be particularly worrying for the banks, who rely on a high degree of trust with their customers," he said.

The most phished brand in the UK is Natwest, according to Cloudmark.