Bank scammers con tens of thousands of dollars from elderly victims
Wednesday, 8 February 2017
An 89-year-old woman is 'paranoid in her own home' after being repeatedly targeted by scammers – the latest of which has conned tens of thousands of dollars out of at least three people.
The Christchurch woman lost 'several thousand dollars' in an elaborate scam in 2016 and was targeted by a swindler again on Tuesday night when a caller told her electricity would be disconnected if she did not pay a fictitious bill.
Police said at least two people in Queenstown and one in Christchurch had collectively lost tens of thousands of dollars in the scam, in which callers targeted elderly people and pretended to be from a bank or power company.
Speaking on the elderly woman's behalf, her daughter said her mother recognised the latest call as a fake and hung up.
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The caller claimed to be from 'Power Online', calling on behalf of Meridian Energy. She told the elderly woman she owed $160 in electricity bills and if she did not pay her power would be disconnected.
The woman's daughter said her mother felt 'picked on' after falling victim to an elaborate scam last year in which a caller claiming to be from Westpac bank conned her into giving him her debit card's PIN. An accomplice then visited her at home and left with her debit card, which he replaced with a New Zealand Post Prezzy Card.
'She's already distressed enough and she is now paranoid in her own home,' the daughter said.
She said her mother was particularly concerned about door-to-door scammers as she used a walker and could not move quickly.
'She keeps her door locked all the time, even during the day now.'
The latest scam was first reported by the Bankers' Association on February 2.
Police said in a statement that it was believed the swindlers were first hacking victims' email addresses to gather personal information as they had significant knowledge about their targets.
After the caller arranged for the 'representative' to speak with the victim, they were persuaded to provide account details and passwords for payment.
HOW TO HANDLE A POSSIBLE SCAM CALL
▪ Seek validation of who the caller actually is.
▪ Always ask for a full name and the company or agency details.
▪ Validate the phone number of the caller and ask that they call you from a landline if they are using a mobile phone.
▪ Ignore calls from unknown mobile numbers.
▪ Don't share your personal details until you are convinced the caller is legitimate.
▪ If you are threatened, simply hang up – the IRD, police or any other government agency or Crown entity will not threaten someone.
▪ Don't trust anyone who calls you and asks for financial information such as your account details and password – again simply hang up, call them on their published contact free-phone number or arrange a meeting at the relevant agency branch.
▪ If you believe you may be a victim of this scam, or if you have received a call similar to the ones described, contact your bank to check whether your accounts have been affected.
▪ If money has been withdrawn from any of your accounts without authority, contact your local police station.
More information on scams can be found on the Ministry of Consumer Affairs website.
* Police earlier said most of the victims who reported the scam to police were SBS Bank customers with Xtra email accounts. Police have since said this information was incorrect and only two victims were SBS Bank customers.