A Parliamentary Joint Select Committee on Cyber-Safety will today hear from University of Canberra academics and former Australian Federal Police cyber crime investigators about why older people are at a greater risk when using the internet and what they need to do to protect themselves.

Alastair MacGibbon, one of the directors of the Centre for Internet Safety, which is hosted by UC's Faculty of Law, said the inquiry was an important way in which political and policy debate could focus on practical ways to protect all internet users - but particularly older Australians, who were often the target of high-level predators.

Mr MacGibbon and co-director Nigel Phair specialise in policy advice and research on cyber threats and security and are both former high-ranking officers with the AFP and experts in international cyber crime, internet fraud, safety and security.

Mr MacGibbon said the trust older Australians had in the printed word extended to the internet, despite the ability of anyone to publish online, including scammers.

''When you have lived through a time when you never locked your doors and seeing something in print really meant something, it is harder for older Australians to automatically question what they read on the net,'' he said.

The use of the internet to make social connections and forge relationships had also led to a steady stream of people getting duped out of life savings by scammers preying on vulnerable older and lonely net users.

''The one piece of advice I would give immediately is not to give money to anyone you have met recently online under any circumstance - not if they say they want to fly out to meet you or they need an urgent heart-lung operation,'' he said.

Mr MacGibbon said it was important that older people weren't scared out of using the internet either.

Online services and content were a potential boon for senior Australians in terms of connecting them to the outside world if they were isolated, keeping them in easy contact with friends and family, and providing them with services such as online shopping.

But despite around 80 per cent of Australian homes having internet access, Mr MacGibbon said too few end users take the necessary steps to keep themselves safe online.

These include using reputable purchased security software and updating it in order to prevent outright data theft.

Net users should not attribute the same level of trust to online material, and older Australians should never be embarrassed to ask for professional advice or seek help from friends and family - particularly if they are new to the internet.

Meanwhile, Mr MacGibbon said it was time the Government took a more proactive approach to regulation.

''We think it is time to see action, we had last year's Cyber White Paper that the Government is due to report on this year, and we have had the Cyber Safety Committee looked at privacy and now seniors, so we want to see some movement towards better legislative processes and departmental responses to these things.''