ABS has revealed a sharp rise in card fraud incidents, with nearly 9% of Australians falling victim in the last financial year.
William Milne, ABS’ head of crime and justice statistics, highlighted a significant increase in card fraud victims to 8.7% of Australians in 2022-23, up from 8.1% the previous year.
The majority of card fraud incidents involved relatively small amounts, with one-third (34%) of victims losing less than $100, though one in six (18%) suffered losses over $1,000.
“The median amount that was fraudulently withdrawn or spent was around $200 for each card fraud incident,” Milne said in a media release.
An overwhelming majority of card fraud victims, 98%, reported the incident, with 92% contacting their bank or financial institution.
In addition to card fraud, half a million Australians were scammed in 2022-23, with buying or selling scams, including false billing and online shopping frauds, being most prevalent.
More than two-thirds (69%) of scam victims reported the incident, often to a bank or financial institution, which accounted for 49% of notifications.
ABS’ 2022-23 Personal Fraud Survey details the rates of card fraud, identity theft, online impersonation, and certain scams, along with socio-demographic profiles of the affected individuals.
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