If someone unwittingly provides their credit card details to a scammer, they can use them to log in and steal money from the target's account, or on-sell the credentials to others. Photo: 123RF
The Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) is warning New Zealanders to be vigilant after an increase in scams being reported in recent weeks.
People are receiving fraudulent emails and texts attempting to lure them to websites where their information or banking details can be stolen.
Internal Affairs received about 2000 scam notifications per week.
But DIA digital messaging and systems manager Joe Teo said it had increased in the lead-up to Christmas.
"With Christmas spend, various sales, Black Friday recently, and Singles Day, there's a lot of scam messages going around that try to mimic legitimate businesses."
People were getting text alerts for non-existent package deliveries or requests to renew their car's registration, Teo said.
"The messages this time around are constructed in such a way where they are starting to appear more legitimate to the naked eye," he said.
"Our advice to that is really look at the construction of the message, if you've seen spelling mistakes, random names, or offers that are too good to be true, then really challenge that message."
People should be suspicious, not let their guard down, and if they suspected a scam alert the department or CERT NZ.
Most importantly, if something seemed too good to be true, it probably was, he said.
Engaging with such messages could result in significant financial loss.
If someone was the victim of the scams, they should contact their bank and lodge a complaint with police.
One of the most common scams would see the sender attempt to entice the recipient to click on a link to confirm their 'stuck delivery'.
The recipient was then directed to a payment order form for a charge of $NZ2-$NZ3 to proceed further.
If the recipient provided their details, the scammer would use their credentials to log in and steal money from the target's account, or on-sell the credentials to others.
Internal Affairs said if people received a text they were not expecting or a text message from an unknown sender, they should not click any hyperlinks included in the message.
Simply report the text spam for free by forwarding the message to 7726.
