Online ID Theft Hits One in 10 Aussies

The land down under is high on online fraudsters’ lists.

A recent survey revealed about one in 10 Internet users in Australia have fallen victim to identity theft over the last 12 months, at an average cost of nearly $1,200. The Australian Associated Press said the sampling of 2,500 people, compiled by Galaxy Research for the online security software company VeriSign, could mean that on a national basis, about about 1.3 million Australians have been snookered by online criminals, at a total cost of about $1.1 billion.

Phishing scams that led victims to divulge financial information were the most common scam, followed by phony charitable appeals. There also was a generational division at work: 69 percent of users between 18 and 24 were more complacent than their elders, and did not verify the details of companies and organizations when they transmitted their bank and credit card details. People over 50 had a much better verification rate, with 45 percent saying they did regular online fraud safeguard checks.