Netsafe and Spectrum Care have written this plain language romance scams guide. It offers advice for people with an intellectual disability, and those who support them. You can read our other plain language guides here. Romance scams: plain language guide Finding friends online can be fun. Sometimes, that friendship can turn to love. Sadly, some people…
Facebook helps you keep up with family and friends and share what’s going on. It’s also home to popular local ‘buy and sell’ groups, and Facebook pages for businesses. Although a lot of these pages and sellers are genuine, there are some people who use marketplace and trading scams to target people on Facebook. We’ve…
Tax scams spike during important dates in the tax calendar. Find out more about common tax scams such as refund emails and overdue tax calls now. When does tax scams peak? Netsafe receives an increased number of scam reports about tax year-round, although these reports often spike around important dates in the tax calendar. This includes dates…
People in New Zealand are losing millions of dollars to scammers each year – and this is just the figures reported to Netsafe so the actual figure is likely much higher. There are often similar characteristics to most scams so we’ve put our advice together to help you. Netsafe’s Guide to Scam Spotting An online scam…
With more people shopping online, many opportunistic scammers are targeting internet users by sending emails and text messages that impersonate delivery companies. These are called these parcel delivery scams. They are designed to obtain the personal or financial details of the person receiving them. Variations on this type of scam can see people receiving a…
Sadly we know scammers hop into Easter with hollow promises set to cause pain and we’re warning people to be careful when it comes to online scams. Reports to Netsafe have gone up 360 percent over the past four Easter periods making this the most dangerous weekend for the community in terms of online criminal…
Netsafe has received numerous reports about an email scam where the scammer falsely claims to have hacked into their device and recorded intimate recordings of people using porn websites. The email threatens to release the video to their personal contacts unless the person pays them a sum of money. In some versions of this scam,…
Netsafe is urging people to be vigilant to opportunistic scammers looking to profit from COVID-19. We’ve seen first-hand how scammers are using COVID-19 as the lure to engage people. Our tips might help you protect yourself and your family. What does a COVID-19 scam look like? While the scams are different in nature and continue to…
There are many legitimate competitions on social media, but unfortunately scammers try to take advantage of their popularity. These scams can spread quickly and reach a lot of people in a short period of time before they are identified and shut down. We’ve put some information together about what they are and how to avoid…
If you’ve received a text message or email claiming you’ve been selected to take part in a survey or receive a prize/lottery, you might be the recipient of a prize scam. Find out what these scams may look like and tips to help you stay safe online. WHAT ARE PRIZE SCAMS Prize scams try to…
