Almost 10 per cent of Australians were affected by misuse of personal information over the past year, with more than half of victims suffering financial loss as a result.An Australian Institute of Criminology survey of identity crime has found that misuse of personal information is a significant form of criminal activity in Australia.One in five respondents to the survey (20.8 per cent), which was conducted late last year, reported misuse of their personal information at some time during their life, while 9.4 per cent reported misuse during the previous 12 months.Just over half (53.7 per cent) said they believed that their personal information had been misused on a single occasion only.Asked about the cost of misuse of their personal identity, 45.7 per cent said they were not left out of pocket (an unspecified number received bank reimbursements). Of those that did lose money (net of bank reimbursements), 75 per cent said their losses were less than A$1000. The highest loss reported was $310,000.Among those who received a reimbursement from a bank, the median recovery was $300.The most serious types of misuse were theft of credit and debit card details, name and bank account information.Misuse occurred most commonly through theft of a computer or hacking into a computer, hacking into an online banking transaction, stealing information from online shopping sites, and interception of ATM and point of sale transactions.Victims of identity theft are often affected in other ways besides financial loss. Fourteen per cent of those who had experienced identity misuse were subsequently refused credit, which they believed was a consequence of the misuse. Five per cent said they were falsely accused of crimes.Reporting levels are low. Of those who experienced misuse of their personal information, 8.9 per cent did not tell anyone, 53.5 per cent told only a family member or friend, 7.8 per cent reported it to a government agency or business, while 29.8 per cent informed several sources.Only 3.4 per cent were aware that they could apply to a court for a victim certificate to use as proof of what had occurred.As a result of having their personal information misused, 48.5 per cent changed passwords, 48.1 per cent stopped sharing personal information, 42.5 percent changed their banking details and 39.6 per cent said they took more care to review their bank statements.Compared with the Australian experience, a UK National Fraud Authority survey last year found that 27 per cent reported misuse at some time in their lives, while 8.8 per cent experienced identity fraud in the past year.In the US, recent research has come up with a "lifetime prevalence rate" of 14 per cent and a 12-month prevalence rate of 6.7 per cent.