Don’t be a victim of an online scam this festive season
The New Zealand Police have issued a stark warning as the holiday season approaches, urging the public to be vigilant against an alarming rise in online scams and frauds.
A police spokesperson revealed that New Zealanders have lost nearly $200 million to various scams in the past year alone.
The spokesperson detailed the common types of scams plaguing the internet:
Phishing Emails: These scams involve fraudsters impersonating trustworthy organizations to steal personal information, such as internet banking login details.
Social Media Scams: Scammers manipulate social media users, often masquerading as acquaintances, to extort money. This includes deceptions in social media marketplaces.
Invoice Scams: Targeting both individuals and businesses, these scams involve sending fake invoices for non-existent goods or services.
Scam Phone Calls: Though less frequent, these involve calls from individuals pretending to be from well-known companies, seeking remote access to personal devices to access sensitive information.
Money and Investment Scams: Here, scammers promise financial or personal gain in exchange for money or valuable information.
Romance Scams: Utilizing dating sites and social media, fraudsters create fake profiles to exploit individuals seeking relationships, eventually coaxing them for money, gifts, or personal details.
Text Message Scams: Also known as 'smishing scams', these are aimed at extracting personal and financial information through deceptive text messages.
Money Mules: Individuals are unknowingly roped into laundering money acquired from online scams, using their bank accounts to transfer illegal funds.
The police stress that scams and fraud are not always apparent and urge caution when dealing with monetary requests online.
They advise the public to halt any suspicious interactions, avoid further payments, contact their banks immediately, and report the incident to the authorities.
Additionally, the police encourage people to thoroughly research any seemingly attractive deals, consult with family and friends, check with the Financial Markets Authority, and stay alert to anything unusual.
