How scams work on New Zealanders, and what to do

Scammers change their stories every few months, but the mechanics stay the same. Learn the mechanics and you’ll recognise next year’s scam too.

The four levers every scam pulls

Urgency. Your account will be closed, your parcel returned, your licence suspended, a fine doubled, unless you act now. Urgency stops you checking.

Authority. The message claims to be from your bank, Inland Revenue, NZ Post, NZTA, Police or a well-known company. Caller ID and text sender names can be faked, so a message appearing in the same thread as real messages from your bank proves nothing.

A small, easy action. Click a link, pay a $3 fee, read out a code, install an app “to fix the problem”, move money to a “safe account”.

Emotion. Fear, greed, love or embarrassment. Romance and investment scams can run for months before money is asked for.

The one rule

Never act on contact you didn’t start. If a message, call or email asks for money, a code, a password, personal details or access to your device, stop. Contact the organisation yourself using its app, a website address you type in, or the number on your card or bill.

No legitimate bank will ask you to move money to a safe account, read out a code from a text, or install remote access software. No legitimate company needs you to pay a small fee by link to release a parcel.

Patterns common in New Zealand right now

• Toll, fine and parcel texts that claim to be from NZTA, a parking operator or a courier and link to a fake payment page. The NCSC’s mid-2026 report also warned about fake QR codes on things like parking meters.
• Bank impersonation calls saying there’s fraud on your account and asking you to confirm a code or move money.
• Investment scams advertised on social media, often using fake celebrity endorsements, that show growing “returns” until you try to withdraw.
• Romance scams that move off dating apps quickly and eventually need money for an emergency, a flight or customs fees.
• Remote access scams where a “technician” or “bank staff member” asks you to install an app so they can help.
• Marketplace scams: fake buyers sending fake payment confirmations, or sellers asking for payment outside the platform.
• Recovery scams that target people who have already lost money, offering to get it back for a fee.

If you’ve been caught: the first hour

1. Call your bank immediately on the number on your card or in its app. Ask it to stop or recall payments and secure your accounts. Banks committed to five scam protection commitments under the Code of Banking Practice from 30 November 2025. Reimbursement can happen, but it isn’t automatic, so ask directly and keep notes of the call.
2. Change passwords you gave away, and anywhere you’ve reused them. Start with email.
3. If you gave identity details, place a credit file suppression.
4. If you installed a remote access app, disconnect the device from the internet, uninstall the app, and get the device checked before using banking on it again.
5. Report it: Police (105), Netsafe (0508 638 723), and the National Cyber Security Centre (0800 114 115 or online). Forward scam texts to 7726.
6. Tell people close to you. Scammers often target friends and family next, and talking about it is the best protection against shame keeping people quiet.

Helping older relatives

Older people aren’t more gullible, but they’re often targeted more, and they may have more savings and less familiarity with how fake messages look. Help without lecturing:

• Agree the one rule together, and a family code word for genuine emergencies.
• Set up a call blocker or spam filtering through their phone provider.
• Offer to be the person they call before paying anything unusual. Make it easy and judgement-free.

Why reporting matters

Reports to 7726, Netsafe and the NCSC feed the New Zealand Anti-Scam Alliance’s work with banks and phone companies to block scam numbers, links and domains. Your report helps the next person even if it doesn’t get your money back.