Australia experienced card fraud of $2.1 billion during 2014-15, double the $1 billion in 2010-11, according to new Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) figures.
William Milne, Director of the ABS National Centre for Crime and Justice Statistics said even after reimbursements from financial institutions, total out of pocket losses at the time of the survey added up to $84.8 million.
In 2014-15, just over one million people experienced card fraud, compared with 662,300 in 2010-11.
"More broadly, 1.6 million Australians (8.5 per cent of the population) experienced some form of personal fraud (card fraud, identity theft or scams to which they responded), the highest since the survey was first conducted in 2007," said Mr Milne.
"Just over half (56 per cent) 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."
Approximately half the people who experienced personal fraud said that their behaviour changed as a result of their experiences. This included becoming more careful or aware, and changing card details.
More details are available in Personal Fraud, Australia (cat. no. 4528.0), available for free download from the ABS website, http://www.abs.gov.au.
Media notes
- Please ensure when reporting on ABS data that you attribute the Australian Bureau of Statistics (or the ABS) as the source.
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- The Personal Fraud Survey was conducted over 2014-15, with people asked about their experiences of fraud in the 12 months prior to the interview.
- Only people aged 15 years and over were included in the Personal Fraud Survey.
- Personal fraud includes card fraud, identity theft and scams.
- In the Personal Fraud Survey, card fraud is defined as the use of credit, debit, or EFTPOS card details to make purchases or withdraw cash without the account owner's permission. A scam is defined as a fraudulent invitation, request, notification or offer, designed to obtain personal information or money or otherwise obtain a financial benefit by deceptive means. A person responded to a scam if they supplied personal information, money or both, or sought more information in relation to the request.