Source: Consumer Affairs – New Zealand Government
This week is Fraud Awareness Week and we’re encouraging you to work together to fight scams.
By speaking up about scams, by sharing our experiences, reporting online frauds and exposing scams we protect one another.
Scammers are sneaky and they find smart and sophisticated ways to prey on people when they are vulnerable. With people spending more time online, everyone is a target. Scammers no longer just target the ignorant, or IT newbies, they successfully catch-out the savvy at times of stress, when we are in a hurry, busy or impatient. Using fake websites, promises of high return on investments and even romance scams, fraudsters target us at a time of weakness.
Scammers are increasingly using clever tactics to trick people in to giving up personal information, or getting them to perform certain actions that could harm their personal and financial reputations.
We are all targets for scams. As we spend more time online, they can be very easy to fall for, especially if we are busy or distracted. Online scams and fraud have cost New Zealanders $4.5 million in 2020/21 financial year. The majority of these were connected to fake sites, investment and relationship fraud.
Netsafe data shows a staggering 86 per cent jump in identity fraud in New Zealand in 2020/21, while incidents of investment fraud have risen by 37 per cent over the same period.
By working together, we can help many others to avoid being scammed. Let’s together fight scams.
Learn what types of scams to look out for, how to avoid them and how to take action if you are scammed:
Visit the Fraud Awareness Week 2021 page to find out the steps to take and who to reach for help:
