The NSW Government is unveiling new tools to combat data breaches this Scams Awareness Week, with a new resource to help students spot scams and an online portal to check the legitimacy of a breach notification.
According to the National Anti-Scam Centre, there was an almost 20 per cent increase in scams reported in 2023, with a total of 601,000 scams causing $2.7 billion in losses.
Young people between 18 and 24 are more likely than any other age group to become victims of fraud and scams, and the number of scams reported by people under 18 has nearly quadrupled since last year, according to the Australian Institute of Criminology.
A new online teacher's toolkit designed by ID Support NSW provides students with the tools and guidance to spot scams and protect their personal information, with interactive activities, quizzes, videos and case studies designed to help students from years 9 to 12 develop skills to navigate the online world.
The resource includes tips such as treating a password like a toothbrush - change them often and never share them with anyone - as well as what should and shouldn't be shared online. It also provides tips on how to identify a scam, including checking for unusual domain names, an unusual email format and a misleading hyperlink.
ID Support NSW has also developed a Data Breach Portal to help people who think they might be the victim of a data breach check whether an email they received from ID Support NSW is authentic.
ID Support NSW notified almost 200,000 people that their personal information had been compromised in a data breach in 2023 and found that when customers receive a notification, the most common question they ask is whether the correspondence is legitimate.
Anyone concerned about the security of personal information they store can also use ID Support NSW's new Personal Information Risk Assessment Tool (PIRAT) to understand the potential risks in holding customer data.
The tool can be used both proactively and in the wake of a data breach to assess risk from low to extreme based on the information's usage and its appeal to cybercriminals.
Customers who want to access the Data Breach Portal can visit www.nsw.gov.au/id-support-nsw/get-support.
To undertake a risk assessment via the PIRAT, go to www.nsw.gov.au/id-support-nsw/be-prepared/pirat/pirat-assessment.
ID Support NSW also has several resources, tips, tools and webinars available to help people remain safe online. These can be accessed at www.nsw.gov.au/id-support-nsw/be-prepared.
Minister for Customer Service and Digital Government Jihad Dib said:
"This Scams Awareness Week, we have an opportunity to highlight how people can stay safe online, and the NSW Government is investing in tools and resources that make it easier for people to identify a scam and check if they have been impacted by a data breach."
"It's never too early to build awareness around scams and fraud, and the Teacher's Toolkit is a resource teachers can use to help students understand risk online and measures they can take to protect their identity."
"Scam emails, text messages and phone calls are unfortunately something we all encounter, and ID Support NSW is there to help people navigate this new normal."
