Calling on New Zealanders to look out for each other, as scammers and fraudsters step up their attacks on kiwis and kiwi businesses!
This newsletter is being published during International Fraud Awareness Week. Transparency International New Zealand (TINZ) encourages Kiwis to be vigilant to avoid fraud.
“The team of five million has worked together to protect us from a biological virus,” says Suzanne Snively, Chair of TINZ. “We need a similar approach to protecting our personal financial and our business security. We are under attack from sophisticated criminal cartels, many based overseas."
Last year individual New Zealanders reported $23 million dollars of loss according to Netsafe, Aotearoa's independent non-profit online safety organisation. Whereas this is reported loss, the actual loss is likely to be many times this. That money represents life savings, house deposits and retirement funds. Older people are being targeted by telephone, or being threatened with extortion. Our youth are being attacked through gaming applications.
Our businesses are also facing assaults – we have seen million-dollar losses through scams, as well as ransomware and extortion efforts.
Snively urges New Zealand families to make e-security a topic of family discussion and business governance. “Talk with your children, friends and relatives. Just as we are using the COVID app and wearing masks, we also need to protect our homes, incomes, businesses and our open lifestyle from attacks by malevolent fraudsters.”
