Are you concerned about viruses, scams and dodgy websites while browsing the internet? Or have you been a victim of cybercrime before?
You’re not alone! In 2019 there were around five thousand cybercrime incidents in New Zealand which was an increase of 38% according to CERTNZ. These numbers are alarming, as many New Zealanders are considered to be friendly and welcoming. This means scammers and hackers see friendly New Zealander’s as a perfect target for their illegal activities.Â
If you think you have been contacted by a scammer there are a few things you can do:
- Make sure they are a real personÂ
If you have never had real world contact with a person that is trying to contact you via email, social or video chat. Chances are they could be trying to get you to do one of the following; hand over private information, install malicious software or transfer funds to them.
- Do not reveal your personal informationÂ
You may receive an email requesting for your password and user name from a criminal trying to impersonate a customer service representative, like a bank or even the IRD. Emails sent from a legitimate organization will never ask you for these kinds of details. Simply block the email address or delete the email, if they are given your private information they are likely to use it for accessing your bank accounts, social media or to steal your identity.
- They may pretend to act like they know you
Scammers may already have your personal information so they will pretend to already know you by stating specific information that may have be obtained from public lists or illegal lists. Scammers will try to befriend you or add a sense of urgency when making their demands, it is important to read your emails carefully and think rationally.Â
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Below we have listed common scam’s here in New Zealand:
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Tech Support ScamÂ
- Where a person calls you impersonating a major brand like Spark, Vodafone, 2degrees or Chorus. (They will try and get remote access to your computer)
Email Phishing ScamsÂ
-Â Generally these are sent en masse to a large amount of people. Again they may claim to be a legitimate organisation, they may claim that you have won the lottery and that you need to claim your winnings before a certain date and to do this you need to provide them with your contact details. They will add a sense of urgency so that you are more inclined to proceed with their demands.
Fake Invoice ScamÂ
- These scammers will send you an invoice for goods you have not ordered. (receiving unsolicited goods)Â
Romance Scam
- A scammer may pretend to be in a relationship with you in order to scam you out of money. Usually these scammers are pretending to be someone they're not who use photos and identities they have sourced from online.Â
Contact ID Care on this number here if you believe you have been scammed.Â
 0800 201 415
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