Clone scam accounts running rife on social media have prompted a word of caution from police, after one New Zealander was tricked into handing over $55,000.
Police say the "sophisticated operation" sees scammers using fake accounts disguising themselves as their victim’s family or friends by using pictures and personal information taken from public Facebook profiles.
Police are investigating reports from across the southern, central and Wellington districts, suspecting the number of victims is likely higher with people not reporting it.
“Scammers hiding behind the fake accounts get in contact with victims advising them they have won prize money from a ‘promotion’ but they need to pay money into an account before they receive their reward,” a spokesperson said.
From there, these scammers will connect the victim with a third party, who requests personal information such as their bank and card details.
The victim is also asked to pay a fee, usually around $2000, under the promise they’ll receive their prize money in return.
These requests then increase, seeing the victim hand over thousands of dollars.
“The scammers use many tactics to mislead their victims from pretending to be a trusted contact, putting deposits of money into the victim’s bank account to ‘help them out’.”
Victims are told to keep quiet about the promotion and tell their bank the money is for a family member if they start asking questions.
“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," police say.
If you think you might be a victim of a scam, let your bank know as soon as possible and contact police on 105.
More information about how to identify, report and protect yourself from scams can be found on the police website here .
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