National Identity Fraud Awareness Week (NIDFAW) is a nationwide awareness campaign designed to help protect Australians from identity fraud – the world’s fastest growing crime. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) personal fraud affects 1.2 million Australians, or 6.7% of the population. The ABS Personal Fraud Survey 2010-11 also found that Australians lost $1.4 billion dollars in a 12-month period due to personal fraud.
In today’s environment, consumers are being asked to disclose more and more personal information than ever before leading to greater risk of identity fraud. Information such as one’s date of birth, mother’s maiden name and passwords are as valuable as money and these details provide enough information for a fraudster to open bank accounts, apply for credit cards, loans and much more.
For more information visit www.stopidfraud.com.au.