Debit card fraud is a increasingly serious problem here in Australia. It was especially bad during the COVID-19 lockdowns.

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, about 1.8 million Australians experienced card fraud in 2020-21, which was nearly 7 per cent of the adult population and a higher rate than in 2014-15. The main victims were people working from home during coronavirus lockdowns, with people aged between 35 to 54 the most affected.

The rate of fraud on Australian card payments in 2021 was steady at 57.3 cents per $1,000 of spending, compared to 58.6 cents in 2020. However, this was still higher than the rate of 49.8 cents in 2017-18. The most common type of card fraud was card-not-present fraud, which accounted for 85% of all fraud on Australian cards in 2017-18. This type of fraud occurs when someone uses your card details online, over the phone or by mail order.

To protect yourself, you should always keep your card and PIN secure, check your statements regularly, and report any suspicious transactions to your card provider. Be careful when shopping online or over the phone, and only use trusted websites and merchants. If you think you have been a victim of debit card fraud, you should contact your bank or financial institution immediately and ask them to cancel your card and issue you a new one.