Police urge vigilance after elderly Aucklanders fleeced of thousands by cop impersonators

Police are urging Kiwis to be vigilant of phone scams after reports of swindlers impersonating cops and fleecing at least two elderly Aucklanders out of thousands.

Waitematā detective senior sergeant Ryan Bunting said the scammers will also provide a fake ID or badge number to make their call seem legitimate.

”This person will carry on and provide a reason for their call: either they are investigating fake bank notes, or that your credit card has been cloned.

“As part of this scam, they will ask you to withdraw money from a nearby bank to be collected or ask you to provide further financial or banking information to aid their investigation.”

He said police were investigating two reports this week of people falling victim to it: one based on the North Shore, the other south Auckland.

”Both victims withdrew cash from a bank and handed this over to someone who arrived at their door to collect it under the fake cover story.”

Bunting said the victims have had their goodwill and trust trodden on by these scammers.

“Scammers have no ethics whatsoever and will take any opportunity to try and con you.

“These scams take many forms, and the offenders trick people under a variety of guises or storylines.”

He said police were requesting community members to spread the word about the offending with friends and family.

”We are particularly keen to ensure elder family members are aware of what is happening.

”If anyone receives a call of this nature, hang up.”

For those who had been scammed, he encouraged them to come forward to police.

Please remember:

- Police will never call to ask you for bank details, pin numbers or passwords

- Police do not offer prize money- police will not ask you to go to a bank to withdraw money

- If you receive a call out of the blue of a similar nature: challenge the caller to identify themselves and ask for their details.

- Hang up, contact 105 to verify the ID and request the officer to contact you

- If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.