Reports of scam calls from someone claiming to be a police officer

Police have put out a warning again about phone scammers posing as police officers seeking your financial details.

New Zealand Police have had reports recently where Kiwis have been contacted on the phone by someone claiming to be an officer.

“The officer will claim to be from a particular department, tell you that you have been a victim of fraud or scam, and begin to try and obtain further financial information from you,” police said in a national statement.

“This is a scam.”

At least a dozen reports have been made to police, and the scam calls were largely being made to landlines.

“While Police do not have accurate numbers of how many of these scam calls have been received, it is important that the public are aware,” police said.

“We will make some inquiries into these calls, but our experience has shown that often phone-based scammers will be operating from overseas.

“We appreciate the vigilance of those who have contact us so far, as this will help us to make others in the community aware.”

Police said unfortunately, scams can take many different forms and target victims on different platforms.

“Scammers are opportunistic and thrive off your trust and goodwill.

“If you receive a call of this nature, do not hand over any personal details.

“New Zealand Police will never contact people seeking their banking details, card numbers, pin numbers or passwords.

“There are instances where legitimate Police officers will contact you as part of their duties.

“We ask that the public remain vigilant.”

Police have also been aware of an email scam that has re-emerged, that claims to be authorities from police and other justice sector partners.

“This scam has been the subject of previous advisories.

“We continue to advise people to be extremely cautious when receiving unsolicited emails.

“Do not reply to an the email of this nature under any circumstances.”