People looking for love are being targeted by scammers more frequently, according to new insights from CERT NZ.
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The organisation said scammers use dating apps to build trust with victims, and ask for money, gifts, or personal details. There were 72 reports of these "romance scams" in the second half of last year, and 110 in the first six months of this year.
CERT NZ encouraged users to be wary of matches that won't meet in person, and to avoid sending gifts or money over the internet.
But romance scams were only a fraction of the 2001 cyber security incidents reported this quarter.
Phishing schemes, where scammers trick victims into sharing sensitive information, remain the most dominant, forming more than half of the total reports.
Although the total number of cyber incidents dropped by 14 percent, New Zealanders lost $3.9 million between April and June - $200,000 more than in the previous quarter.
CERT NZ said there had been a spate of phone spoofing, where scammers were able to change their caller ID to match a trusted number - like a bank.
The organisation outlined ways in which the scammer finds access to banking information. Callers may ask victims to install remote-access software, granting control of their computer. Another scheme involves triggering an SMS code from the bank to the victim's phone, with the caller tricking them into reading it aloud.
No banks in New Zealand ask customers to do these things, nor share account information over the phone.
Scammers also used fear and urgency tactics, CERT NZ said, such as claiming the victim's account is at risk.
CERT NZ encouraged New Zealanders to hang up on suspicious callers, and reach out to their banks directly if they were uncertain.
People who believe they've fallen for a scam or shared sensitive information can report the incident to [www.certnz.govt.nz/report CERT NZ].
