Northern Territory Police are hosting a meeting of the Australia and New Zealand Cybercrime Joint Management Group (Cyber JMG) for three days commencing Tuesday 9 July 2019.
The membership of the Cyber JMG includes managers of Cybercrime Units from Australian and New Zealand law enforcement agencies, along with representatives from Commonwealth agencies. This is the 5th meeting of the JMG and the first time this event has been held in the Northern Territory.
The JMG was established to support the development and coordination of Australian Police agencies capabilities and strategies in response to technology enabled crime. The JMG being hosted in Darwin is recognition that Cybercrime is a national issue that impacts the Northern Territory along with the rest of Australia and New Zealand.
Cybercrime is a growing threat to Australian businesses and individuals. Cybercrime can be associated with significant financial loss and in examples such as identity theft, romance fraud or cyber bullying can have very substantial and ongoing emotional impact on the victim. The impact of cybercrimes targeting businesses, for example Business Email Compromise fraud extend beyond the significant direct financial losses to include reputational damage, costs of IT system recovery, and periods where the business may be unable to operate. The Cyber Security review lead by the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet has found cybercrime is costing the Australian economy up to $1 billion annually in direct costs alone.
The threat of Cybercrime can be reduced through awareness of the risks and steps taken to adopt safe practices. Examples include backing up your data, introducing safe business practices governing changes to payment details, and ensuring that your family members are aware of the online risks.
To gain further information visit cyber.gov.au and the Northern Territory Government website – becybersmart.nt.gov.au. If you have been the victim of a cybercrime you can report the matter to Police through www.acorn.gov.au or if you feel threatened or in danger on 131444 or 000.
