How to spot a scam 

• Uninvited investment offers. It’s illegal in New Zealand to sell financial products (such as shares) through an unsolicited meeting.  

• Very vague about who the offer is from, where the business is located and how to contact them.  

• Being told this offer is only available to a select few or that you need to act urgently to secure the investment offer. These tactics are used to make you feel special or to pressure you into making a quick decision.  

• Be vigilant and cautious. Always maintain a healthy level of scepticism when dealing with emails, messages or websites that ask for your personal or sensitive information.  

• Double check the sender’s email address, domain or contact details to ensure they are legitimate. If you’re unsure, pick up the phone and talk to the organisation directly to confirm.  

• Don’t click on or open suspicious links: hover your mouse over links in emails or messages to check their actual destination before clicking on them. Copy and paste into checknetsafe.nz to double check.  

• Be cautious with attachments. Malicious attachments can contain viruses or malware that can compromise your computer security.  

• Keep your software up to date: regularly update your operating systems, web browsers and security software.  

• Don’t reply to spam messages even to unsubscribe. 

• Never send money to someone you don’t know or haven’t met in person. 

• Don’t give out bank or credit card details or personal information that could be used to impersonate you. 

• Be wary of anyone that is never able to meet you in person. They may promise to see you but either cancel every time or offer excuses which delay meeting. 

• Beware if the individual asks you to leave a dating or social media site quickly to communicate directly. 

• Beware of people who pressure you with urgent requests. 

• Beware of people who often talk of money problems or ask for financial help. 

• Never transfer money or goods on behalf of someone else. 

• Talk to someone you trust about who you’re communicating with online. 

• Search for the person’s photo and profile online to see if the image, name or details have been used elsewhere. 

• urgent sounding messages or phone calls 

• a believable story 

• creating a sense of panic  

• claiming to be from the financial organisation or bank's fraud team and make claims such as “funds have been taken from your account and immediate action needs to be taken to prevent further losses.” 

• Investment scams – These scams will impersonate a celebrity promoting fake investment opportunities. The celebrity is used to give credibility to the investment. Once a person invests, the criminal disappears making it near impossible to get your money back.
• Endorsement scams – Celebrities or people of influence will be impersonated and be seen to be endorsing products. Often these products are of poor quality or non-existent.
• Romance scams – Scammers create convincing fake personas, nurturing a connection with their target until they eventually ask for money. Money is usually asked to be paid in the way of wire transfers, gift cards, payment apps, and crypto currency as the funds are nearly impossible to recover after payment has been made.
• Extortion scams – Using technology to mimic a family member or friend’s voice or appearance, leading you to believe they are in trouble and need financial assistance urgently. This type of scam often targets older adults over the phone.

Sorted is a free service by Te Ara Ahunga Ora Retirement Commission, helping New Zealanders get ahead financially. Their website has a lot of great tools and guides to help protect yourself from fraud and being scammed. 

sorted.org.nz