Melissa Price (Durack, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Science) Share this | Hansard source

I was concerned to read over the weekend in the Sunday Times that young Australians are increasingly falling for phishing scams. Phishing—spelt with a 'ph'—is a way that cybercriminals trick you into giving them your personal information by sending fraudulent emails or text messages pretending to be someone else. In this case, it was Bankwest being impersonated, and they have reported a 49 per cent increase in losses from phishing scams for those aged between 18 to 24 years old. This was during last financial year compared to the year prior.

Young people are often considered to have a greater understanding of cyberthreats given their greater use of devices; however, this news should serve as a reminder to young Australian adults that you are not invincible. Let me say that again: young Australian adults, you are not invincible and you are also vulnerable to scams. The Bankwest experience is proof of that.

If you have revealed information through a phishing email or text, you should contact your bank to secure your accounts immediately. You should also contact other services where the information could be used to access accounts, including ATO or Services Australia. In addition to changing passwords, you should also report the incident through the ReportCyber service. But, to avoid all doubt, please don't click on any suspicious links, and, if in doubt, contact the institution directly.

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