Police warn of fake Facebook profile scam that's cost one victim $55,000

Thursday, 1 July 2021

Scammers are cloning Facebook profiles of their victim’s family and friends in order to trick them into providing money, banking and credit card details.

Police are investigating a number of complaints about the scam, particularly in Wellington, Taranaki, Manawatū, and Southland, and believe there may be more victims who haven’t come forward

One person, from Southland, has reported losing more than $55,000 in the scam.

In a statement, police said victims of the scam are being misled by fake Facebook accounts which appear to belong to their friends or family members.

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The accounts are clones, created by scammers using pictures and personal information from public Facebook profiles.

Using the accounts, the scammers then get in touch with the victims, advising them they have won prize money from a promotion, but that they need to pay money into an account before they can receive their reward.

The scammer puts the victim in touch with a third party who requests personal information, bank and credit card details from the victim.

The third party also requests the victim pay a fee, usually about $2000, with the promise of receiving the prize money.

The amounts requested then increase, with victims being deceived into paying thousands of dollars.

“The scammers use many tactics to mislead their victims, from pretending to be a trusted contact, to putting deposits of money into the victim’s bank account to ‘help them out’ as the scam progresses,” a police spokesperson said.

The scammer tells the victim not to tell anyone about the promotion, and advised them if their bank asks any questions to say the money is being used to assist a family member.

Police suspect there may be more people affected who have not reported it, who may be choosing not to out of embarrassment at being deceived.

“Officers want to prevent any more people being targetted and defrauded by ruthless scammers.

“We are also aware that scammers may target elderly or vulnerable people, so we urge people to have conversations with older or vulnerable family members about keeping safe online, and being aware of suspicious activity and tactics used by scammers,” a spokesperson said.

Police tips to help prevent being scammed:

• Look after your personal details in the same way you would your wallet and other possessions.

• Check the profile of someone who is contacting you unexpectedly, as it may be a fake.

• If something looks or sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

• If you think you may have been a victim of a scam, notify your bank immediately, and call police on 105 to report it.