Fraudsters have become better at parting Australians with their money, even as people become more savvy about responding to scams, a survey from the Australian Bureau of Statistics reveals
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Australians lost an enormous $2 billion to credit card fraudsters last year, double the $1 billion lost in 2010-11.
Even after reimbursements from banks and financial institutions, total losses added up to more than $84 million, director of the ABS National Centre for Crime and Justice Statistics William Milne said.
"More broadly, 1.6 million Australians experienced some form of personal fraud, the highest since the survey was first conducted in 2007," Mr Milne said.
"Personal fraud" includes credit card fraud, identity theft or scams.
"Just over half the population aged 15 and over were exposed to at least one scam during 2014-15, an increase from 36 per cent in 2010-11. However, the proportion of people who responded to a scam decreased from 2.9 per cent in 2010-11 to 2.4 per cent in 2014-15."
The bureau attributes the "rapid expansion and availability of internet technology" and the increase in electronic storage, transmission and sharing of information as reasons behind Australia's increasing vulnerability to fraud.
About 23000 Canberrans experienced identity fraud in 2014-15, nearly double the number in 2010-11. And nearly 70 per cent of Canberrans were exposed to one or more scams in 2014-15, while about 47000 people responded to at least one. In 2010-11, 10600 Canberrans responded to at least one scam.
The number of Canberrans exposed to one or more scams was higher than the national average, which sat at about 56 per cent.
Lottery scams were the most common type of scam in Australia, with 31 per cent of the population aged 15 and over exposed to at least one. This was followed by computer support scam, 29 per cent, and information request scam, 27 per cent.
About three in five scam offers in the most serious scam type were received over the internet, including 39 per cent by email, 7 per cent by social media and 15 per cent by another way over the internet.
This was followed by phone calls, which about to about one quarter of scams.
Half of all people who experienced card fraud changed their behaviour as a result, the bureau said. Changed behaviour included becoming more careful or aware, changing card details or changing payment method.
Scam warning signs from ACCC's ScamWatch
- You receive an email, text or a phone call out of the blue asking you to "validate" or "confirm" your personal details by clicking on a link or opening an attachment. The message contains grammatical errors and is poorly written
- There are unexpected pop-ups on your computer or mobile device asking if you want to allow software to run
- You receive a friend request from someone you don't know on social media
- You are unable to log into your social media or email account, or your profile has been logged into from an unusual location
- You notice that amounts of money go missing from your bank account without any explanation or an application for a loan or credit card has been declined
