With scams and cybercrime rapidly on the rise across the world, Redland City Council is taking steps to help protect the community through hosting a series of free sessions on how to stay safe online.
Acting Mayor Julie Talty said Council, through the Digital Transformation Program, was pleased to support delivery of a series of Cyber Resilience Outreach Clinics across Redlands Coast’s mainland and islands in partnership with cyber security organisation IDCARE.
“As we move deeper into the digital age, scammers and online criminals are becoming more skilled, and anybody can become a target,” she said.
“We don’t need to be fearful, we just need to be informed.
“These sessions are being delivered by IDCARE, a national leader in scam, identity and cybercrime support, and will offer residents valuable insights on how to identify and protect themselves from scams, identity theft and other forms of online harm.”
IDCARE’s National Manager of Outreach and Engagement, Kathy Sundstrom, said Redlands Coast residents were not immune to scams and cybercrime.
data shows in the first six months of 2025, residents in Redlands reported over $2.7 million in financial losses as a result of a scam cyber incident to our National Case Management Centre – an average of $36,491 per case,” Ms Sundstrom said.
“This is approximately $10,000 higher per case than the average money lost Australia-wide and is a reason for concern.
“What’s interesting in Redlands is that financial losses from phishing text messages are the highest of any scam type – even higher than the financial losses from investment scams which is unusual.
“IDCARE will spend time in the sessions next week helping people understand how these scams work and what to look out for.”
Each session is capped at 40 participants.
To register, visit the ‘What’s On at your Library’ page on Council’s website and search for ‘cybercrime session’.