Specialist e-crime officers will work within the four Welsh police forces

The unit will bring together government, police, academics and business in the fight against online criminals.

It will track e-crime and make firms better informed about the risks and more alert to potential attacks.

Details of the unit were unveiled at Wales' third e-crime summit at the Celtic Manor Resort in Newport.

Det Ch Supt Chris Corcoran, from the north Wales e-crime steering group, said a key problem was that most business did not think it would happen to them.

"Cases range from simple theft or deception where people might purport to purchase or sell something through a website and the goods never get delivered upon receipt of the money," he said.

"Right through to a 'phishing' attack where a financial institution may lose hundreds of thousands or millions of pounds."

Phishing is where a "spoof" website that looks identical to a trusted website asks for someone's personal data and is then able to steal their identity.

Prepared for attacks

Like many businesses, Cymraeg Vending, in Barry, Vale of Glamorgan, never expected to fall victim to e-crime until one morning it discovered a hacker had got into its main computer system and changed all user names and passwords.

Service manager Jason Boull said: "Our computer systems were totally shut down for about six to eight weeks. The total cost was around �27,000- �30,000."

At court, the culprit was given a suspended sentence and community service.

Mr Boull said: "At crown court they let him off very, very lightly.

"These things are very rarely caught and when you do catch somebody you need to be able to make an example of them."

The new unit will work within the Welsh Assembly Government's Department of Enterprise, Innovation and Networks (DEIN) and act as a central hub for information, intelligence gathering and reporting between the various groups involved.

Enterprise, Innovation and Networks Minister Andrew Davies said: "Online criminals will increasingly find Wales a hard target because we'll be better informed and prepared for malicious attacks."