An Otane resident is warning people not to get "sucked in" to the latest phone scam doing the rounds - which carries a $6300 carrot.
The woman, who did not wish to be named, said she received a phone call to her landline yesterday afternoon by a man with an "Indian accent" who claimed to be from the New Zealand Government.
He said she was entitled to a $6300 grant and that only 200 people in the country were selected - the one proviso being that she didn't use the money for any illegal purposes.
"He knew my name, my husband's name and my address. He asked for my date of birth and I stupidly gave it."
"There was a lot of background noise and music and he kept asking me to repeat things - at which point I knew it was a scam."
Despite hanging up, the person called back and said they would transfer her to their supervisor - although the woman hung up and called the police immediately, who advised her that it was indeed a scam.
They advised her to speak to her bank, which has put systems in place to monitor her account.
The concerned citizen said: "This close to Christmas they could suck a lot of people in.
"If it is too good to be true, it probably is."
"There are desperate people out there who will feed off the vulnerable. It is bad enough for people trying to make ends meet."
A police spokeswoman said officers were aware of a number of scams such as this operating and warned people they should always be aware that they could become a target.
"We encourage people to remain vigilant as this can be a popular method used by thieves," she said.
Police advice is as follows:
- Look after your personal details in the same way you would your wallet and other possessions. Your personal details are very valuable to scammers, they will use your details to take out loans or run up debts if they can.
- Be aware of common scams. For example, banks and government organisations never email, call or text customers to ask for money to be sent using money transfer services. If you receive a request like that, it's a scam.
- Don't trust anyone who calls you and asks for your financial related information such as your account details and password – again simply hang up, call them on their published contact 0800 number or arrange a meeting at the relevant agency branch.
- If you have been targeted by a scam, report it immediately by visiting Consumer Protection's Scamwatch website at www.consumerprotection.govt.nz/scams.