IMGCAP(1)]
An estimated 1.55 million Australians have had criminals steal or skim their credit cards, according to survey data from Australia-based credit reporting agency Veda Advantage and research firm Galaxy Research. An additional 3.15 million Australians know someone who has had credit cards stolen or skimmed. The findings are based on surveys conducted between 4 Sept. and 6 Sept. of 1,110 consumers who are at least 16 years old. Approximately 488,00 incomplete number Australians have had criminals steal or try to steal their banking PINs, the survey results suggest, according to a statement from Veda. The survey indicates that white collar Australians are more likely than blue collar Australians to experience card and banking fraud. Matthew Sinclair, executive director with Australia -based Carpadium Consulting, tells CardLine Global that the numbers mentioned in the report seem high. "I am wary of these kinds of reports because the simple fact is that banks only spend as much [or less] on fraud prevention as they are actually losing," he says. "And the amounts that they are currently spending are not in line" with the fraud numbers mentioned in the Veda report.
