About National Identity Fraud Awareness Week™
National Identity Fraud Awareness Week is Australia's only nationwide awareness campaign designed to help you protect yourself and your business from identity fraud, one of Australia's fastest growing crimes.
Research commissioned by Fellowes recently showed that whilst the majority of Australians are worried about the risks of identity fraud, an alarming 75% of us are throwing out enough personal information such as credit card statements in our rubbish and recycling to put us at risk of identity fraud.
This site has been designed to help you and your business understand how identity fraud occurs and how you can take steps to protect yourself. You can take our online Identity Fraud – Are You At Risk? Test to assess how safe your identity really is.
National Identity Fraud Awareness Week is an initiative launched by Fellowes.
About Identity Fraud |
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Identity fraud occurs when a person's personal information is used by someone else without their knowledge to obtain credit, goods or other services fraudulently. It can even extend to securing a passport in their name. |
Criminals use a mixture of tactics to acquire the information needed to steal another's identity. These range from the very crude such as taking personal information from a stolen purse or wallet, going through rubbish, phishing or stealing somebody's identity online (see How Can Your Identity Be Stolen?) Worryingly for the victims, they often do not realise their identity has been stolen until it is too late and it can take a considerable amount of time and money to put right the damage caused. As always, prevention is better than cure. |
The Facts
- 75% of Australians throw out enough personal information, such as credit card statements, in their rubbish and recycling to put them at risk of identity fraud
- 87% of Australians are concerned about identity theft
- According to The Australian Federal Police (AFP), identity fraud costs the nation up to $4 billion a year
- When it comes to concerns about identity fraud, women fear financial loss, poor credit rating, feeling personally violated and embarrassment far more than men
- 81% of middle Australia (household income $40k - $69k) are most likely to put themselves at risk of identity theft by throwing out personal information such as utility bills and credit card statements
- Personal information such as your date of birth, address, mother's maiden name and passwords are now as valuable as money. This is enough information for a fraudster to open bank accounts, apply for credit cards, loans and much more.