The UK's National High Tech Crime Unit (NHTCU) is to help to handle PR for firms that have been the victims of computer crime, in an attempt to encourage more prosecutions.

In December the unit launched a confidentiality charter, which allows companies to report computer crime without fear of public disclosure, but some firms are pulling out of prosecutions just before they go to court, according to John Lyons, crime reduction co-ordinator for the NHTCU.

Lyons said a major reason for this problem is that companies fear bad publicity from prosecutions - so the unit has launched a team dedicated to helping firms manage media relations when dealing with computer crime.

"We will work with PRs to formulate a media strategy," said Lyons.

In the event of a prosecution the unit's PR staff will work to avoid leaks and promote a positive image of companies helping the police, he said.

Mark Smith, a solicitor at law firm Morgan Cole specialising in e-crime, said, "We'd usually advise clients to co-operate fully with the NHTCU. Although there are few crimes with a legal requirement to tell the police, it makes sense in most cases. The NHTCU confidentially charter has been a great step forward in helping companies get the confidence to do this."

Lyons said that web site spoofing has become one of the most common crimes affecting financial business in the UK. The NHTCU receives calls almost daily from companies that have fallen victim to the scam, under which fraudsters set up web sites with URLs similar to those of legitimate sites, then harvest access codes from users who try to log on.