The most common types of fraud reported to Australia's cyber crime watchdog include false text messages from banks, people tricked into online relationships and identity-related offences.

People receiving messages ostensibly from their bank, alerting them to an issue and asking them to click a link and enter their bank details can result in money being emptied from their accounts in a matter of hours, according to the Australian Cyber Security Centre.

As part of Stay Safe Online week, the watchdog has revealed more than 13,500 reports of cyber crime were made between July 1 and September 30 this year, with 153, or 1.3 per cent, coming from the ACT.

Victorians recorded the highest number of incidents, followed closely by Queensland and NSW.

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Almost 70 per cent of those reporting a financial loss from online crime were aged between 25 and 34.

"These statistics make it clear that cybercriminals are increasingly active and, unfortunately, increasingly successful," head of the Australian Cyber Security Centre Rachel Noble said.

"As the internet approaches its 50th birthday and we reflect on all the benefits it's delivered, we also need to recognise the threat: cybercriminals are trying to steal your money, your data and even your identity."

Ms Noble said people need to secure their computers and mobile phones in the same way they secure physical places, by doing things like using different passwords on different devices, patching software regularly and making sure social media privacy settings are turned on.

People are discouraged from using simple or easy to guess passwords, even though a cyber-crime survey in August found 40 per cent of people use the same password for all or most of their important accounts.