SCAMS

The national scam exposure rate remained steady between 2007 and 2010-11, at 35.8% of the population aged 15 years and over. At the state/territory level, the exposure rate increased in Victoria (from 32.7% in 2007 to 36.2% in 2010-11), and decreased in Queensland (from 39.7% in 2007 to 36.8% in 2010-11), Western Australia (from 38.1% in 2007 to 33.5% in 2010-11), and the Australian Capital Territory (from 48.5% in 2007 to 39.5% in 2010-11). In 2010-11, the scam exposure rate in Tasmania (40.8%) and the Australian Capital Territory (39.5%) were both higher than the national exposure rate (35.8%).

There were no statistically significant differences in the victimisation rate for a scam between the states and territories or between the genders both at a national and state/territory level in 2010-11.

Reporting rates for a scam varied across the states and territories, from 45.0% in the Australian Capital Territory to 25.4% in South Australia.

Of all the types of scams, the exposure rate to lotteries was the highest, with just over one fifth (22.2%) of all Australians aged 15 years and over being exposed to a lottery scam. The exposure rate to pyramid scheme scams was the lowest, at 6.2% of the population aged 15 years and over.

Of all persons exposed to a scam, an estimated 8.1% responded to the scam invitation, request, notification, or offer by accessing a website, asking for more information, sending personal details or accepting an offer. Persons were most likely to respond to a fake notification from an established business, with 6.3% of all persons exposed responding, and were least likely to respond to chain letters, with 0.9% of all persons exposed responding. As a proportion of the entire Australian population aged 15 years and over, victimisation rates were highest for a fake offer from a bank or financial institution (0.8%) and lotteries (0.6%), and lowest for chain letters (0.1%) and pyramid schemes (0.2%).

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