Internet users being hit with fraud

One in 10 Australians on the internet have lost money due to identity theft with the total amount lost close to $1.28 billion, the latest VeriSign Online Fraud Barometer reveals.

The study shows that 1.37 million Australians have become victims of online scams. An average of $1,000 was lost in each case, with 18-24 year olds losing an average of $1,619.

Detective Superintendent Brian Hay, head of the QLD Police fraud squad, told The Age that young people are especially vulnerable to frauds.

“Recently I was asked to go and provide a presentation to a group of university students, and we tend to think that our young people do understand the internet and they know how to avoid scams and they know how to pick a fake website, but you know what… the reality is they’re not equipped for it at all.”

“Many of the students thought that if the website looked professional then it was okay. Even though we’ve got our youth of today embracing the technology they’re still not prepared for a lot of the threats that are there, and that comes back to they haven’t been educated on it.”