4528.0 - Personal Fraud, 2010-2011 Quality Declaration 
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 19/04/2012   
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SCAMS

The national scam exposure rate remained steady between 2007 and 2010-11, at 35.8% of the population aged 15 years and over. At the state/territory level, the exposure rate increased in Victoria (from 32.7% in 2007 to 36.2% in 2010-11), and decreased in Queensland (from 39.7% in 2007 to 36.8% in 2010-11), Western Australia (from 38.1% in 2007 to 33.5% in 2010-11), and the Australian Capital Territory (from 48.5% in 2007 to 39.5% in 2010-11). In 2010-11, the scam exposure rate in Tasmania (40.8%) and the Australian Capital Territory (39.5%) were both higher than the national exposure rate (35.8%).
SCAM EXPOSURE RATES BY STATE/TERRITORY, 2007 and 2010-11

(a) Refers to mainly urban areas only. See paragraph 6 of the Explanatory Notes

There were no statistically significant differences in the victimisation rate for a scam between the states and territories or between the genders both at a national and state/territory level in 2010-11.

Reporting rates for a scam varied across the states and territories, from 45.0% in the Australian Capital Territory to 25.4% in South Australia.

Of all the types of scams, the exposure rate to lotteries was the highest, with just over one fifth (22.2%) of all Australians aged 15 years and over being exposed to a lottery scam. The exposure rate to pyramid scheme scams was the lowest, at 6.2% of the population aged 15 years and over.
SCAM EXPOSURE RATES BY SCAM TYPE

(a) Persons may have been exposed to more than one scam type so components may not add to total.

Of all persons exposed to a scam, an estimated 8.1% responded to the scam invitation, request, notification, or offer by accessing a website, asking for more information, sending personal details or accepting an offer. Persons were most likely to respond to a fake notification from an established business, with 6.3% of all persons exposed responding, and were least likely to respond to chain letters, with 0.9% of all persons exposed responding. As a proportion of the entire Australian population aged 15 years and over, victimisation rates were highest for a fake offer from a bank or financial institution (0.8%) and lotteries (0.6%), and lowest for chain letters (0.1%) and pyramid schemes (0.2%).
PROPORTION OF EXPOSED PERSONS RESPONDING TO SCAM BY SCAM TYPE

(a) Persons may have responded to more than one scam type so components may not add to total.

SCAM VICTIMISATION RATES BY SCAM TYPE

(a) Persons may have been a victim of more than one scam type so components may not add to total.



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