17 percent of Australian adults victims of identity theft: survey

More than 2.6 million Australians, or 17 percent of the adult population, have been victims of identity theft at some stage in their lives, an Australian credit bureau said on Tuesday.

A survey by Veda of 1,500 people aged over 18 showed 5 percent had personal information stolen in the past 12 months.

New South Wales had the highest proportion with 19 percent of respondents saying they had been victims of identity theft at some stage, followed by Western Australia at 17 percent and 15 percent of Victorians and South Australians.

The average loss in each case amounts to 3,000 U.S. dollars, with cunning thieves using hoax emails, theft of mail and rubbish searches, according to Veda's head of cybercrime Fiona Long.

Hoax emails are most common, said Long. Malware can be installed on the victim's computer after opening the email or clicking a link and can allow personal information to be sent back to the criminal's server.

"We are all doing more and sharing more online and if we leave ourselves vulnerable, identity thieves can steal information like passwords, personal data and financial details without our knowledge," Long said on Tuesday.

Those born during 1980s and early 1990s, also known as Generation Y, are less concerned about falling victim to identity theft despite being more likely to experience it than older Australians.

Long said it was a reason to remain vigilant at all times with the research confirming cybercrime is an ever-present threat.

"Be careful in your online interactions like shopping online and using social media sites, as these can make a big difference to how vulnerable you are to identity crime," she said.

"Combine this with common sense at home: lock your mailbox, keep personal documents hidden and shred information before it goes in the bin." Endi