When it comes to phishing targets, your PayPal details rank right up there with your debit card and PIN number.

Until now all we’ve had is our keen wits and sheer luck to defend us from such cunning criminals but PayPal’s finally come up with a failsafe.

The PayPal Security Key works in the same way as many of the remote log-in keys road warriors use to access their work intranets and email. Every 30 seconds it comes up with a new six-digit password required by PayPal alongside your usual login credentials.

Enter the details on a phisher’s mock page and the details you enter will be useless 30 seconds later when they try and use them to access your account.

The only problem is you’ll always have to the keyfob handy whenever you log in. It’s only being trialled in America, Germany and Australia for the moment, but PayPal owner eBay assures us it will come here if everything goes to plan.