Almost half of Australian internet users experienced some form of cyber crime in the past year, according to the latest Australian Cybercrime Survey, with fraud and scams on the rise.
The survey, conducted by Roy Morgan on behalf of the Australian Institute of Criminology (AIC), gathered responses from 10,593 Australian computer users. The AIC found that 45.1 per cent of respondents experienced at least one type of cyber crime in the 12 months to 2025, down from 47.8 per cent the previous year.
Despite the decline, nearly two-thirds of respondents reported experiencing cyber crime at some point in their lives. More than 20 per cent of respondents were victims of two or more different types of cyber crime during the past year.
Online abuse and harassment remained the most common category, affecting 24.6 per cent of respondents, although incidents declined from 2024. Identity crime and misuse also fell, with 20.4 per cent reporting incidents, driven largely by a reduction in compromised financial accounts.
The decline in identity-related offences was attributed in part to stronger security controls implemented by financial institutions in recent years.
In contrast, fraud and scams continued to increase, with 11.1 per cent of respondents reporting they had fallen victim, up from 9.7 per cent in 2024.
The research also found that certain groups faced a higher risk of cyber crime, including younger Australians, First Nations people, members of the LGBTI community, people who primarily speak a language other than English, those with restrictive health conditions, higher-income earners, and small to medium business owners and managers.
The AIC noted that while fewer Australians engaged in risky online behaviours, such as password sharing, the use of proactive online safety measures also declined for a second consecutive year.
The report found cyber crime remains significantly underreported, with most victims choosing not to report incidents to police or ReportCyber.
You can read the full report here.
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David Hollingworth
David Hollingworth has been writing about technology for over 20 years, and has worked for a range of print and online titles in his career. He is enjoying getting to grips with cyber security, especially when it lets him talk about Lego.