{"id":188743,"date":"2025-04-26T16:30:33","date_gmt":"2025-04-26T06:30:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/propertyupdate.com.au\/?p=188743"},"modified":"2025-04-26T18:45:22","modified_gmt":"2025-04-26T08:45:22","slug":"3-5-million-australians-experienced-fraud-last-year-this-could-be-avoided-through-6-simple-steps","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/propertyupdate.com.au\/3-5-million-australians-experienced-fraud-last-year-this-could-be-avoided-through-6-simple-steps\/","title":{"rendered":"3.5 million Australians experienced fraud last year. This could be avoided through 6 simple steps"},"content":{"rendered":"

About 14% of Australians <\/span>experienced personal fraud last year. <\/span><\/p>\n

Of these, 2.1 million experienced credit card fraud, 675,300 were caught in a scam, 255,000 had their identities stolen and 433,000 were impersonated online.<\/span><\/p>\n

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According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics' latest Personal Fraud Survey, between July 2023 and June 2024, Australians lost A$2.1 billion through credit card fraud.<\/p>\n

This was up almost 9% from the previous year.<\/p>\n

Even after reimbursements, the loss was still $477 million.<\/p>\n

These figures do not include financial loss through identity theft, phishing, romance, computer support and dodgy financial advice scams.<\/p>\n

\"Bank<\/p>\n

Why the increase?<\/span><\/h2>\n

Research shows the more frequently we use technology, the more likely we are to be scammed.<\/p>\n

Monica Whitty from the Cyber Security Centre, University of Warwick, found victims of cyber-frauds were more likely to score high on impulsivity measures like \u2018urgency\u2019 and engage in more frequent online routine activities that place them at great risk of becoming scammed.<\/p>\n

We communicate via email, shop online, use dating apps and allow technicians to remotely access our computers.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, amazing \u201cget rich quick\u201d opportunities are apparently being liked by our friends on our socials almost every day.<\/p>\n

But too many of us do not stop and think, \u201cIs this legitimate?\u201d<\/p>\n

It is no wonder we see personal fraud and scams increase every year.<\/p>\n

While the Australian Bureau of Statistics figures suggest older Australians (aged 45 and over) are more exposed to card fraud, research has found demographics are not a significant predictor of fraud victimisation.<\/p>\n

\"Card<\/p>\n

Taking risks<\/span><\/h2>\n

Being too trusting, drives complacency, which produces gullibility.<\/p>\n

Think about online dating sites.<\/p>\n

The site uses a multi-factor authenticator, it requires you to authenticate your photo, password protect your profile and read the scam warnings.<\/p>\n

A site\u2019s apparent legitimacy increases your trust. Research has found if you perceive a platform to be legitimate you could be exposed to romance fraud.<\/p>\n

Fraudsters may be operating within a site, even if it is legitimate.<\/p>\n

Another strong predictor of exposure to online fraud is self-control.<\/p>\n

Self-control theory predicts individuals with low self-control tend to pursue their own self-interest without considering the negative consequences.<\/p>\n

Simply, if the investment scheme looks \u201ctoo good\u201d, they will most likely click on the link and get scammed.<\/p>\n

Giving away too much<\/span><\/h2>\n

Some individuals are prone to self-disclosing personal information online \u2013 and scammers love personal information.<\/p>\n

Self-disclosure is defined as the amount of information a person decides to make common knowledge.<\/p>\n

Sometimes, we disclose, even when we don\u2019t intend to.<\/p>\n

A common phishing technique on social media is status updates that read, \u201cYour porn star name is your first pet\u2019s name and the first street you lived on.\u201d

<\/div><\/p>\n

They\u2019re interesting, and funny and bring on a healthy dose of nostalgia, but the answers to those questions that you tap in for all to see are also most likely to be your security questions on your bank accounts.<\/p>\n

The most common scams in 2023-2024:<\/strong><\/p>\n