CONCLUSION
This article used survey data collected through the ABS 2010-11 Personal Fraud Survey and subsequently published in Personal Fraud, 2010-11 (cat. no. 4528.0) to further explore socio-demographic differences in experiences of personal fraud victimisation. Overall, the data suggests that experiences of personal fraud are as varied as the range of fraud types – evidence of the growing sophistication and diversification of fraud (UK Office of Fair Trading, 2006; Button, Lewis, & Tapley, 2009). Whilst the data helps to highlight differences in vulnerability across different segments of society and the links between socio-demographic characteristics and experiences of fraud victimisation, inferences regarding any underlying causal pathways between these variables cannot be made on the basis of the data alone.
There are a range of factors that influence the risk of becoming a victim of personal fraud such as engagement with the internet and awareness and knowledge of fraud. More research is needed to understand how these and other potential risk factors vary across different segments of society, and how they interact to increase fraud victimisation risk. Whatever the underlying risk factors for personal fraud victimisation may be, a statistical evidence-base will be a vital part of guiding future research, crime prevention, consumer protection initiatives, and targeted community awareness and education programs.
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