In this study we used data from the 2023 Australian Cybercrime Survey to develop a harm index for individual victims of cybercrime. The index comprises scores for 17 common types of cybercrime.
These scores were based on a 34-item measure of cybercrime harm encompassing practical, health, social, financial and legal impacts. Harm scores were based on victim reports of the prevalence and severity of each harm. These harm scores were strongly associated with reporting to police and to ReportCyber, which helps validate the index.
The scores provide a measure of the relative severity of each type of cybercrime. We used these harm scores to measure concentration among cybercrime victims. Overall, just 10.9 percent of victims accounted for 57.7 percent of the harm to all victims who completed the survey.
Repeat victims who experienced multiple types of cybercrime are disproportionately impacted and should be prioritised for intervention.
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