1519 days ago

Kiwis lose millions to offshore scammers

Ripu Bhatia Reporter from Community News

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.

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22 hours ago

Poll: How should Guy Fawkes be celebrated?

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

While it is a fun occasion, fireworks on Guy Fawkes Night has caused much conflict over the years, upsetting our pets and disrupting the sleep of neighbours.

How should we celebrate Guy Fawkes Night? Vote in our poll and share your thoughts below.

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How should Guy Fawkes be celebrated?
  • 27.8% With a city-wide public fireworks display
    27.8% Complete
  • 21% Small fireworks displays in each community
    21% Complete
  • 7.9% Keep it as is
    7.9% Complete
  • 31.5% We shouldn't celebrate it!
    31.5% Complete
  • 11.3% Anything but fireworks
    11.3% Complete
  • 0.4% Other - I'll share below
    0.4% Complete
1146 votes
19 days ago

What's your favourite recipe for gooseberry?

Mei Leng Wong Reporter from NZ Gardener & Get Growing

Love gooseberries? Share your favourite way to enjoy them. We're looking for our readers' favourite family recipes for this delicious crop. Send yours to mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz, and if we use it in the magazine, you will receive a free copy of our December 2024 issue.

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11 hours ago

Winner winner!

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

Congratulations to the winners of our $100 Mitre10 vouchers:

Justine Terrill from Mount Albert

Suzette Gibson from Nelson

Soumya Manoj from Lower Hutt

Millie George from Richmond Hill

If you're a winner, get in touch here.

Not a winner this week? There's always next week!

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