Kiwis lose millions to offshore scammers
Police are warning the public to be vigilant and wary of calls from phone scammers following a rise in complaints recently which have seen some victims lose tens of thousands of dollars.
Detective Sergeant Kelly Corby from the Auckland City Financial Crime Unit said an investigation, named Operation Hyattsville, is looking into more than 20 complaints from victims who have lost money in the past couple of months to phone scammers operating overseas.
One of these victims, 80-year-old Auckland City resident Marion, was conned by the scammers in a video posted today on the Auckland City District Police Facebook page.
Marion had $10,000 taken from her account after a caller convinced her that there was an urgent issue with her Spark account and they needed to access her computer remotely to fix the issue.
The convincing scammer asked Marion to download the Teamviewer application which allowed them to access her computer before asking for her banking details.
Fortunately, Marion’s bank got in touch after noticing suspicious banking activity and the money was able to be recovered.
Detective Sergeant Corby said unfortunately in most instances the victims are not as lucky as Marion, with several million dollars lost by Kiwis to these offshore scammers in the past few months alone.
“We are not talking about small amounts of money. On average, each victim has lost around $30,000 and these losses are absolutely devastating for our victims,” he said.
“Phone scams are nothing new, however we are concerned after seeing a growing trend of cases recently where victims have been conned over the phone.”
Corby said if you think you are a victim of a phone scam, you need to act fast and notify your bank immediately.
“There is a simple way to stop yourself from being a victim. Do not give your personal banking information out over the phone and do not allow the person over the phone to access your computer,” he said.
“There is no legitimate reason that a company will need to access your computer remotely. Do not download any application which allows them to access it.
A similar investigation by the Auckland Financial Crime Unit last year, Operation Deadwood, resulted in Police charging 18 people for money laundering offences after hundreds of phone scam victims lost more than $2.5 million.
Live Q&A: Garden maintenance with Crewcut
This Wednesday, we are having another Neighbourly Q&A session. This time with John Bracewell from Crewcut.
John Bracewell, former Black Caps coach turned Franchisee Development Manager and currently the face of Crewcut’s #Movember campaign, knows a thing or two about keeping the grass looking sharp—whether it’s on a cricket pitch or in your backyard!
As a seasoned Crewcut franchisee, John is excited to answer your lawn and gardening questions. After years of perfecting the greens on the field, he's ready to share tips on how to knock your garden out of the park. Let's just say he’s as passionate about lush lawns as he is about a good game of cricket!
John is happy to answer questions about lawn mowing, tree/hedge trimming, tidying your garden, ride on mowing, you name it! He'll be online on Wednesday, 27th of November to answer them all.
Share your question below now ⬇️
OCR Rate cut today of 0.5 percent - great new for buyers
The Auckland real estate market has shown a positive change in recent months. The OCR rate cut today will further help.
What's your home worth in today's market?
I'm FREE to appraise your property.
If you are selling on the North Shore of Auckland ... Call me
Gabrielle Elborough on 021 257 5018
www.Gabrielle.nz...
Real Estate Agent
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#BarfootAndThompson
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Some of my Sales
Park Avenue, Takapuna
Hastings Road, Mairangi Bay
Matipo Road, Mairangi Bay
Penzance Road, Mairangi Bay
East Coast Road, Browns Bay
East Coast Road, Northcross
Mayfair Crescent, Mairangi Bay
Tenbless Court, Unsworth Heights
Girrahween Drive, Totara Vale
Hythe Terrace, Mairangi Bay
Evelyn Place, Hillcrest
Norfolk Pines, Albany Highway
Tenbless Court, Unsworth Heights
Arran Road, Browns Bay
Matipo Road, Mairangi Bay
Hythe Terrace, Mairangi Bay
Landsberg Way, Windsor Park
Jeanette Place, Mairangi Bay
Kerria Place, Sunnynook
Library Lane, Albany
Amante Crescent, Mairangi Bay
Beach Road, Rothesay Bay
East Coast Road, Northcross
Archers Road, Glenfield
Girrahween Drive, Totara Vale
Auld Street, Torbay
Hythe Terrace, Mairangi Bay
Channel View Road, Campbells Bay
Prospect Terrace, Milford
Livingstone Street, Milford
Ramsgate Terrace, Mairangi Bay
Hythe Terrace, Mairangi Bay (again)
Alma Road, Milford
Beach Road, Browns Bay
Beach Road, Rothesay Bay
Hythe Terrace, Mairangi Bay
Mayfair Crescent, Mairangi Bay
Penzance Road, Mairangi Bay
Hythe Terrace, Mairangi Bay
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Jenanne Place, Totara Vale
Sunderland Ave, Hobsonville Point
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Poll: Should all neighbours have to contribute to improvements?
An Auckland court has ruled a woman doesn’t have to contribute towards the cost of fixing a driveway she shares with 10 neighbours.
When thinking about fences, driveways or tree felling, for example, do you think all neighbours should have to pay if the improvements directly benefit them?
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82.3% Yes
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15.2% No
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2.5% Other - I'll share below
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