Cyber-savvy NSW police were being trained in the use of sophisticated technology to crack down on computer fraud, experts said today.

The rate of computer fraud in Australia was on the rise and would soon rival that of the United States, Detective Inspector Bruce Van Der Graaf of the NSW Computer Crime Unit said today. "In terms of the uptake of technology, we're right up there," he said.

"I think we're third in the world and that really exposes us to a high level of being victimised by hackers, or by people stealing our identity or that type of thing."

According to the latest figures from the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics, the overall rate of recorded fraud rose by 16.3 per cent in the 24 months to December last year.

While it was unclear what proportion related to computer fraud, it is clear e-crime was a major concern for computer and Internet users.

A survey by research firm Ipsos-Reid released in July last year showed almost three-quarters of all internet users had concerns about using credit cards on-line, although less than one per cent had experienced fraud.

After an intensive training session with US-based forensic computer scientist Andrew Rosen last week, Detective Inspector Van Der Graaf said new technology and highly trained police were fast catching up with criminals who used the proceeds of their scams to fund better, faster methods of computer crime.

"Law enforcement has to play fair whereas unfortunately the bad guys have a head start," Mr Rosen told reporters in Sydney. "They're not constrained by rules or budgets and the proceeds of crime allow them to get new technology before police."

Mr Rosen said new developments, such as SMART software, would help to level the playing field for the 20 officers he trained during the past week.

SMART forensic software allows police a new method of inspecting hard drives for evidence of crime.

AAP