Supporting Scam Awareness Week 2024

The theme of this year’s Scam Awareness Week (26 –30 August) is ‘Share a story, stop a scam'. To find out how Optus is supporting families to fight scams we spoke to Helen Maisano, Senior Director, Group Sustainability at Optus.

According to Ms Maisano, the challenges posed by scams are increasing daily as the scams become more sophisticated and pervasive.

“One important way for parents to help their children practice safe online behaviour is by parents having an open conversation with their kids, particularly about scams and how to avoid them so they are better protected in their digital environment,” Helen says.

“To help families prepare their children for dealing with the risks of online scams, Optus Digital Thumbprint has created the Stay Ahead of Scams through Family Discussions guide.

“In addition, we have also created interactive activities for children such as the Scammers and fake friends’ quiz which helps children test their defence skills to avoid cyber criminals,” Helen says.

In a survey¹ of over 1,000 students across Australia, Optus uncovered several themes relating to fighting scams.

“Our survey results showed that almost one in two students struggle to figure out whether approaches from ‘friends’, or online messages are credible or a scam,” Ms Maisano says.

“We also found that young people find it difficult to determine the reliability of a source (47.9 per cent).”

When protecting their personal information online, one in two (49%) students surveyed struggle to create and remember strong passwords or passphrases.

“This is concerning as passwords and passphrases are the first line of defence in protecting our personal information online. A weak passphrase can easily be cracked by hackers, putting the personal and financial information of children at risk,” Ms Maisano says.

“Optus recommends a strong passphrase to boost online protection and multi-factor authentication (MFA) to add an extra layer of security.

“These and other tips are part of Optus Digital Thumbprint’s new guide to help kids protect their personal information from hackers and scammers.

Launched in 2013, Optus Digital Thumbprint is one of the longest running digital safety and wellbeing education programs in Australia, educating over 620,000 primary and secondary students to date.

“Optus engaged Think Impact, a leading Australian social impact advisory firm to commence an independent evaluation of the Digital Thumbprint program,” Ms Maisano says.

“Over 2,300 students from Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland took part on the evaluation, including students from four Victorian secondary schools who participated in facilitated focus group discussions that centred on building a deeper understanding of the trusted sources young people rely on to learn about digital safety and wellbeing.

“As technology and digital innovation transforms the world around us, concerns around online safety and security continues to rise.

Despite issues such as scamming threats, we know that technology can play a significant positive role in bridging the digital divide and enable connectivity.

“The overall impact evaluation findings show strong positive outcomes occurring for students across all workshops and Digital Thumbprint is seen as a trusted source of information on digital safety and wellbeing. Educating young people and their families about digital safety is one of our key areas of focus and we’re proud that these results reinforce this commitment. Our overarching goal is that this program continues to support and enable young people to achieve, thrive and belong in today’s digital world,” Ms Maisano says.

As part of the findings the top three most significant changes occurring for students who took part in the Cyber Security workshop were:

• 89% of students have improved knowledge about keeping their personal information secure
• 88% of students have improved knowledge about staying safe online.
• 88% said they have more ideas about where they can go for advice that helps them stay safe online.

Optus Digital Thumbprint supports digital safety and wellbeing with educational workshops, guides and resources for young people and families.  The program includes free, curriculum-aligned workshops that are fun and interactive. These workshops are delivered face-to-face by one of our facilitators or via digital interactive workshops.

In addition to the facilitator-led sessions hosted in schools, a dedicated website has free resources for young people, families, and teachers.

The Digital Thumbprint program, fully funded by Optus, has reached over 620,000 primary and secondary students across Australia. The program has been endorsed by the eSafety Commissioner as a Trusted eSafety Provider.

For young people

• Blocking unwanted contact guide
• Cyberbullying quiz
• Cyberbullying: what to do when things go wrong guide
• Digital Balance quiz
• Fake friends and fake profiles quiz
• Hackers, scammers and fake friends guide
• Lifehacks for a balanced time online guide
• Passphrases, passwords and MFA guide and quiz
• Protecting personal information quiz
• Scammers and fake friends quiz

For Families

• Balancing time online guide
• Blocking unwanted contact for your child guide
• Cyberbullying: What to say when things go wrong online guide
• First Phone Readiness guide and quiz
• Passphrases, passwords and MFA for your child guide
• Recognising hackers, scammers and fake friends guide
• Safeguard your child’s privacy on popular apps and games guide
• Stay ahead of scams through family discussions guide

eSafety Commissioner to report cyberbullying, image-based abuse, and illegal and restricted content

Australian Cyber Security Centre - Auto report cybercrime, including online threats and abuse, scams and hacks, data breaches, identity theft and fraud.

Scamwatch to report scams.

Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation to report online grooming and inappropriate contact

IDCARE to get identity theft, data breach, scam and cyber security support.

If your child needs to talk to someone about their feelings or worries, they can contact:

Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800 for free, private and confidential 24/7 phone and online counselling services.

13YARN on 13 92 76 (24/7) for a free, private and confidential talk with an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander Crisis Supporter.

¹ Survey responses collected between December 2023 to May 2024.

Optus Digital Thumbprint supports digital safety and wellbeing for young people and families. Find out more at www.digitalthumbprint.com.au