Editorial: Guide to curb scams

The number of people being fleeced by scammers is staggering.

As we reported last week, about 10 per cent of New Zealanders approached by scammers hand over money, losing on average $5000 each and research suggests the annual loss to New Zealand could be in the hundreds of millions of dollars.

Scams are now common.

I once received a phone call from someone informing me I had a virus on my computer.

They claimed to be contracted to a software company and needed me to turn on my computer to check it.

I refused having already heard it was a scam in which the caller placed the virus and then asked for a fee to remove it.

Like most scams, it was simple and relied on trust and creating a sense of alarm or urgency.

The caller was pleasant to begin with but became agitated when I refused his request.

It made me realise just how relentless and ruthless the people behind these scams can be.

It was not that long ago that we were shielded from these ruthless operators.

The arrival of the internet removed all these barriers.

The web provided a direct connection to the wider world and gave people desperate for money, whether out of poverty or self-interest, access to unsuspecting targets.

Research has shown that seniors (aged 50+ years) are particularly vulnerable to certain types of scams as they may have more available cash.

They are more likely to travel and may be less internet and social media savvy than the younger generation.

Seniors are also more likely to lose money to online travel/accommodation scams, are twice as likely as other age groups to lose money to investment scams and are four times as likely to fall prey to dating scams.

It's good news then that a guide Get Online Savvy has been released.

It contains information about how to keep computers secure, how to identify a scam and how to protect against a scam.

It has been written for seniors. Such guides will make it harder for for rip-off artists to con people out of their hard-earned money.