One in ten Australians victims of ID fraud

Almost one in ten Australians have fallen victim to identity theft, according to a national survey released by the Office of the Australian Privacy Commissioner (APC) which also found that the majority of people do not trust online businesses to protect their personal data.

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One in ten Australians victims of ID fraud

Editorial

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The survey of 1500 Australians conducted by Wallis Consulting Group found that nine per cent of respondents have had their personal details stolen and used fraudulently, while 17% said they knew someone who had fallen victim.

Half (50%) of those surveyed said they were "more concerned" about providing information over the Internet than they were two years ago, while 45% believed ID theft was most likely to occur as a result of using the Internet.

Around 11% said ID theft was most likely to occur as a result of buying items online, while the same amount felt that Internet banking would expose them to ID fraud.

Furthermore, around 25% of Australians claim they provide false information in online forms as a way of protecting their identity.

Only 17% of respondents considered businesses selling over the Web to be trustworthy, although the APC says this is a "significant improvement" on 2004 figures where just nine per cent trusted online retailers. Over a third (36%) of Australians would not deal with a company or charity because of concerns over its protection or use of their personal data.

Commenting on the findings, Privacy Commissioner Karen Curtis, says: "The best way to address these concerns is for people to arm themselves with knowledge of the privacy safeguards built into technologies, as well as an understanding of their rights."

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