Australians risk scams as poor cyber habits cost AUD $87,000

Australians are continuing to put their digital safety at risk despite increasing public awareness of cyber threats, a new industry report shows. Behaviours such as password reuse, quick acceptance of cookies, and sharing personal information on social media are leaving many exposed to scams and data theft.

Scam exposure

According to the Consumer Cybersecurity Assessment, 16% of Australians surveyed said they had fallen victim to a scam in the last year. The average reported financial loss per scam was AUD $545, amounting to over AUD $87,000 lost among respondents alone. While social media emerged as the most common platform for scam delivery at 36%, other channels included email (27%), text messages (25%), and phone calls (20%). For those aged 25-34, social media scams were even higher at 43%.

Oversharing risk

Almost half of those surveyed (45%) reported sharing life events such as birthdays, graduations or holidays on their social media accounts. Personal videos were shared by 33%, while 30% posted about personal milestones like jobs, degrees or fitness achievements. Among those aged 16-24, 93% used TikTok, 96% used Instagram, and 88% used WhatsApp, potentially amplifying their exposure.

Privacy experts warn that the high level of personal information available on public platforms fuels identity theft and other scams. Younger Australians were found to be particularly vulnerable due to both higher social media use and oversharing behaviours.

Password practices

Poor password management remains an issue. About 36% of Australians admitted that they still write down passwords, and 18% acknowledged reusing the same password across three or more accounts. Australians reported holding an average of five online accounts each. While 27% use password managers, many still rely on less secure methods such as browser autofill (16%) or Apple password autofill (13.6%).

Those who had experienced a scam were more likely to have poor password hygiene, with 23% reusing passwords across multiple sites compared to 16% among those who were not scammed.

Cookie complacency

Cookie management habits are also a concern. Forty-three per cent of Australians accept all cookies by default, and 26% do not read terms before providing consent. The report found 68% of respondents did this to access content more quickly, indicating convenience often outweighs caution. Acceptance rates were highest among those aged 16-24 (60%) and 25-34 (56%).

Privacy advocates have noted that cookie acceptance can create risks of profiling, tracking, and even session hijacking. Only 13% of those surveyed rejected all cookies, while 44% manually managed their preferences.

Device security

Despite frequent online transactions, just over half (55%) of Australians do not install third-party security software on their phones. Usage rates were even lower for computers (57% without protection) and tablets (85%). The report also found that nearly 7% use a work-issued device for personal financial transactions, introducing risk for both individuals and their employers.

Trust in platforms

The findings show mixed attitudes towards trust in technology providers. While 87% of Australians trust Google to some degree and 85% trust Microsoft, scepticism is higher for newer or more controversial platforms. A majority reported a lack of trust in X/Twitter (64%), TikTok (61%), and OpenAI (55%) regarding privacy and security. Sixty-six per cent said they would not share credit card or payment data with tech giants.

AI concerns

Artificial intelligence is an area of growing anxiety for users. Forty per cent of Australians were most concerned about AI technology being used in scams, such as deepfakes. Concerns also included job losses (37%) and loss of human interaction in society (29%). Respondents over 55 were notably more concerned about AI scams (46%) than younger age groups (34% of millennials).

"These findings highlight the growing importance of cybersecurity awareness as attacks on consumers become more frequent and sophisticated in the age of AI," said Ciprian Istrate, Senior Vice President of Operations, Bitdefender Consumer Solutions Group.