KEY POINTS:
Young people, Maori, and those at the lower end of the socio-economic scale are most at risk from electronic crime such as identity theft or email and mobile phone harassment, a new survey from the Ministry of Justice shows.
Results from the survey, which asked 5400 people if they had been victims of e-crime over an 18-month period to June 2006, equated to 93,000 victims of identity theft, comprising the use of credit cards for theft or the use of personal information to commit theft or fraud.
Computer viruses, unintentionally viewing offensive internet web pages, and receiving harassing emails and mobile phone messages were also common forms of e-crime reported during the course of the survey.
The survey, attached to the New Zealand Crime and Safety Survey, aimed to assess the extent of e-crime in New Zealand.
It asked a series of questions relating to computer misuse, phone misuse and identity theft.
The survey's authors said the results were subjective, as some of the offences reported could not be classified as "crimes" in the legal sense, and the survey did not include questions on how many times the offences had occurred or the detail of the offences.
However, it said the survey still offered up-to-date information about 11 e-crime problems in New Zealand.
By far the most common problem reported was a computer virus, worm or spyware, with more than half of computer users experiencing one of these issues over the reporting period.
Fifteen per cent of respondents said they had unintentionally encountered material on a web page they found "highly offensive," the survey found.
One in 10 reported receiving harassing or threatening emails, while 8 per cent said they had received a call or text on their mobile phone they found highly offensive.
More women than men, more Maori, and more young people, complained of these problems.
The survey found 2.8 per cent - equating to 93,000 New Zealanders aged 15 or over - had experienced some form of identity theft.
These people tended to be those in economically deprived situations, including the unemployed, those living in homes rented from local authorities or Housing New Zealand, and people from smaller ethnic groups.
The survey was a preliminary measure of the extent of e-crime in New Zealand, and no decision has yet been made as to whether it should be repeated.
The authors said a broader measure of the problem would need to take in the effect of e-crime on businesses, which may bear bigger financial losses from this type of offence.
- NZPA
