Measuring the Extent of Fraud in Australia

• NCJ Number: 177678
• Author(s): Russell G. Smith
• Date Published: 1997
• Length: 6 pages
• Corporate Author: Australian Institute of Criminology
• Sale Source: Australian Institute of Criminology
• Publication Format: Document
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical)
• Language: English
• Country: Australia
• Note: Trends and Issues in Crime and Criminal Justice N 74, November 1997

Annotation

Fraud in Australia is examined, with emphasis on existing data on trends over time and on ways of improving understanding of the extent to which such crime occurs.

Abstract

Australia has a fairly piecemeal approach to fraud data collection. The available data include official statistics collected by police agencies, courts, and corrections agencies; quasi-official statistics collected by insurance companies and other organizations; and unofficial statistics collected through victimization surveys sponsored by accounting firms. Data from the Australian Federal Police revealed that fraud involved $132.1 million in 1995-96. Another study revealed that 21.4 percent of businesses in Australia were victimized through fraud in 1993. Improved knowledge of fraud would result from the use of consistent offense categories, consistent data recording practices, improved detection and reporting, and the improved quantification of financial loss. Tables and 20 references