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Identity crime and misuse in Australia: Results of the 2018 online survey

Identity crime and misuse in Australia: Results of the 2018 online survey


The Australian Institute of Criminology (AIC) has released a publication that reports the findings of a community survey of almost 10,000 Australians undertaken in support of the National Identity Security Strategy. 

  • Identity crime is one of the most prevalent crime types in Australia, with rates far exceeding those of property crime and violent crime.
  • Nine out of ten respondents indicated that they considered misuse of personal information to be ‘very serious’ or ‘somewhat serious’. Between 2017 and 2018, there was a small increase in the proportion of those who believed misuse of personal information to be ‘very serious’.
  • In 2018, almost one quarter of respondents reported having been a victim at some point in their lives, and almost 12 percent reported being a victim in the preceding 12 months.
  • Total out-of-pocket losses were substantially lower in 2018 ($2m) than in 2017 (2.9m). Average out-of-pocket losses in 2018 were over $1,000 less than in 2017.
  • The most common consequence of misuse of personal information was refusal of credit in both 2018 and 2017, although in 2018 this declined by a significant 7.6 percentage points from 2017. The consequence of misuse of personal information involving experience of mental or emotional distress requiring counselling or other treatment increased by 1.5 percentage points between 2017 and 2018.
  • Ten percent of respondents who had experienced misuse of their personal information in the last 12 months did not report the misuse at all.


The paper is available for free download on the AIC website: https://www.aic.gov.au/publications/sr/sr19


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