“Internet fraud”: Millions of Australians at risk

Background research

With the rapid development and popularity of the internet, some unscrupulous individuals use the internet to commit fraud which has serious implications for Australian residents. According to the latest figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (2023), 2.7% (552,000) of people in Australia have experienced fraud. Phishing and phone fraud are the most common types of fraud. Australians lost a record $3.1 billion to fraud last year, with phishing scams alone causing a 469 % increase in losses year-on-year. Internet fraud is not only a threat to the safety of the public’s property, but it can also cause serious psychological damage to individuals and families. In some extreme cases, victims of Internet fraud may even resort to self-harm or suicide. Internet fraud seriously disrupts the network and economic order while also threatening the safety of public life and property. This poses a great potential threat to social stability. That is why I wanted to write a feature about internet fraud. By describing the experiences of some victims, I want to help the public to avoid becoming the next victim and maintain the safety of public property and social stability.

Story topic and angle

This feature will focus on how online fraud happens and its impact on contemporary society and individuals. In addition, the causes of online fraud and common types of online fraud will be discussed to help the public to recognize the signs of fraud and avoid becoming the next victim. It will also provide constructive advice to victims who have suffered the devastating effects of online fraud and to readers who are concerned about the issue.

Publication and target audience

The Australian news website news.com.au will be chosen as the target publication. News.com.au is the leading business news website in Australia with over 10 million subscribers. This will provide a greater reach for this news story.

The target user group is mainly victims who have experienced online fraud and the public who are concerned that they have been defrauded. Some businesses that are associated with incidents of online fraud such as banks and financial institutions. In addition to this, it can also be people who are concerned about information and cyber security and relevant companies and government staff.

Sources of information

Interviewees

• Two victims who have experienced Internet fraud.

           Xinyue He, Jennifer Yuan – Find out about the experience and how it affected them.

• Cyber security expert Simon J Smith has over 23 years of experience in the IT industry. Expert in cyber security, fraud cases and e-crime.

Sources

Reports Related to Internet Fraud

• The Guardian: Australian losses to online marketplace fraud increase as scams become increasingly sophisticated
• The Conversation: “Articles on Online fraud”
• Targeting scams: report of the ACCC on scams activity 2022

Official government websites

• The Commonwealth Fraud Prevention Centre
• Scamwatch– A website operated by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) that provides information on fraud.

Multimedia, hypertext and interactivity

Multimedia

• Create charts for the data to present the figures in a more visual format.
• Add images related to the content to enhance credibility and readability.

Hypertext

• Add hyperlinks to relevant data and report to increase the accuracy and credibility of the content.

Interactivity

• Provide my personal information and contact details at the beginning and end of the news story.
• Add contact details and links to relevant official organizations and government websites.