Over 39,000 Cases Of Cybercrime Reported In Australia Last Year

Online fraud and scams make up 49 per cent of reports according to The Australian Cybercrime Online Reporting Network (ACORN).

The Government launched the ACORN in November 2014 as an easy way for the public to report cybercrime. It is also used as a national intelligence database for authorities to use for identification and prosecution of criminals.

Online fraud and scams accounted for 19,232 of the reports received in 2015.

Online trading issues which affect Australians who buy and sell goods online were the second highest type of cybercrime reported; the ACORN received 8,368 reports which accounts for 22 per cent of total reports in 2015.

Victoria received the highest number of cybercrime reports, closely followed by Queensland and New South Wales.

The majority of reported victims of cybercrime were between 20 and 40 years of age (40 per cent), followed by the 40-60 age group (38 per cent).

Over the past year, email, social networking, and website advertising have been the top three reported online channels used by cybercriminals to target their victims.

Many instances of cybercrime go unreported because victims either do not know where to report, don’t think it’s worth reporting, or are reluctant to do so. ACORN said in a statement that the service “allows cybercrime victims to easily and instantly report cases of criminal activity online, as well as providing information on how to avoid falling victim to cyber criminals.”

“As Australia’s reliance on technology grows, and online shopping remains an increasingly attractive option for busy Australians, the cost and incidence of cybercrime is expected to increase.”


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