Cybercrime has become one of the most common crimes in Australia, yet itremains one of the least understood and least reported. This report sets out to
address that gap.
Drawing on a nationally representative survey of more than 2,000 Australian adults, this research provides an evidence base that has been missing from the national conversation: a clearer picture of how cybercrime is experienced and, importantly, why current reporting systems are failing them.
The headline data suggests parity. At first glance, cybercrime appears to fall evenly across the population. Men and women report near-identical rates of victimisation, and the headline figures are dominated by high-volume, high-target crimes like financial scams, data breaches and hacking. But this surface-level parity conceals a more troubling reality. When cybercrime is targeted, personalised and sustained, including coercive control, stalking, image-based abuse and sexual extortion, women bear a disproportionate share of the harm.
