As reported by Near Field Communication (NFC) news service, a growing number of people in Britain do not feel confident making payments via mobile phone.

Referring to a new study conducted by Intersperience, NFC says it is the fear of phone hacking that’s holding back a huge number of UK consumers to take the benefits of mobile commerce. The results of an opinion poll of 1,000 Brits demonstrated that just 17% of the consumers were ready to use their phones to make a payment. Nearly 44% of those polled were worried by potential security threats.

The Intersperience study reveals that many cell phone users have become concerned over mobile security following the recent phone hacking scandals. “Mobiles can be hacked” and “criminals would learn to do it”, NFC quotes a member of the public expressing his concern.

Of those surveyed, 24% people ruled out using mobile phones as a gateway to purchasing products or services because they simply feel cell phones are not secure. The fear of phone theft stops another 24% of the participants from using their mobile phones to deal with payments.

According to Paul Hudson, CEO of the research organisation, the phone hacking scandals have made many people nervous about using their devices to make transactions. Following the scandals, the research team found a significant drop in the number of people using their mobiles to access the internet, Mr. Hudson observes, adding that even though the future of mobile wallet technology does not seem to be bright as of now, the gen next consumers may still prefer it over other payment methods.