Why young Australians are the nation’s biggest scam target

The government has revealed that someone in Australia reports being a cybercrime victim every six minutes with an estimated $2.18 billion lost to financial scams in 2025.

But there’s a trend making it more difficult for you to spot the scam in the first place.

I spoke to Daniel Battaglia, founder of Parksy, a parking marketplace with 133,000 members across 57 countries, who said he is not surprised by these statistics as it’s something he very aware of.

“Keeping our users safe is something I take personally, but it’s alarming to see how aggressively scammers target growing digital platforms,” he said.

“They know young Australians and side-hustlers are keen to do business, so they try to trick them into taking transactions off-platform using direct bank transfers or forged receipts.”

“In an ever-online world of fast paced transactions, we’ve seen a real relax in caution from users who’re targeted by scammers exploiting those looking for extra income by leaning into ‘urgency’ of communications and payments.”

When most people picture someone who may be susceptible to a scam, they tend to imagine older Australians who might be less confident with technology.

ING Sense of Us data found that young Aussies are diversifying their digital money management to supplement their incomes and maximise savings.

Half of Gen Z and Millennials plan to invest in shares or ETFs this year.

At the same time, over a quarter treat side hustles as a core income stream, nearly four times the rate of Baby Boomers.

Add in online shopping and a growing trust in AI and social media for money advice, and younger Australians suddenly have dozens of digital doors open at any given moment.

Government-commissioned research reveals young Australians are confident but exposed online.

More than half of 18 to 24-year-olds reuse the same password across multiple accounts, 59 per cent say they’re comfortable using a weak password, and only 68 per cent think carefully before clicking a suspicious link. This is compared to 90 per cent of Australians aged 65+ who verify links before clicking.

In fact, the digital-native population likely believes themselves to be more ‘scam savvy’ than their older counterparts.