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The scammer then took $ 10,000 from his account. Fortunately, Marion’s bank was contacted after noticing suspicious banking activity and the money could be recovered.
But police say other victims are not as lucky as Marion, with several million dollars lost to Kiwis to these scammers abroad in recent months alone.
Detective Sergeant Kelly Corby of the Auckland City Financial Crimes Unit says an investigation is investigating more than 20 complaints from victims.
“We are not talking about small amounts of money,” says Corby.
“On average, each victim has lost around $ 30,000 and these losses are absolutely devastating for our victims.”
Police remind the public that they should never give their bank details over the phone to a stranger, no matter which company they claim to be calling from, even if they say they are from their bank or phone provider.
“If you get a suspicious call from your bank or phone provider, hang up and call the company again at their publicly listed number, not the number they called you, and notify them of the call you just received “said Sgt. Det. Corby says.
“Check your bank accounts / credit cards for suspicious transactions and notify your bank immediately if there are.
“Please speak to your parents / grandparents, neighbors, and other older people you know to warn them of this scam.”
Police believe there are people in New Zealand who act as money mules for scammers abroad, and warn they could face legal process for this.
“If someone asks you to use your account to deposit money and then asks you to withdraw it, there is a high probability that the money is from a scam and you risk being charged with money laundering,” says Sgt. Det Corby .
A similar investigation conducted last year by the Auckland Financial Crimes Unit resulted in 18 people charged with money laundering offenses after hundreds of victims of phone scams lost more than $ 2.5 million.
