Taupō police column: Scam artists out in force

Don't be pressured into giving your bank details to others online. Photo / 123rf

OPINION

In light of the recent tragic nighttime fatal car crash in Tūrangi, it’s important to remember that if members of the public feel they have seen any kind of hazard to road users, they can contact us to report it.

Please also remember common sense rules when driving.

Wear your seatbelt, don’t speed through roadworks, be on the lookout for other vehicles and expect the unexpected.

In fact, common sense is important at all times - even at the weekends.

Sadly, one of our staff was [allegedly] assaulted on Saturday night, whilst breaking up a fight outside a bar at closing time.

If you plan on drinking, know your limits and make sure you have a plan to get home safely.

Elsewhere, one thing that’s continuing to pop up across the station is online scams.

There are a fair few making the rounds at the moment, but one of the most common involves Facebook Marketplace transactions.

The targets are sellers, who are being contacted by fake buyers.

These ‘buyers’ ask for bank details, saying they will deposit the money for the item, plus additional money to have it delivered.

However, they are actually using the details they receive to access the seller’s bank account.

The best rule to avoid this is to only ever exchange items for cash in person.

Take a friend with you and meet in a public place with CCTV coverage.

Never give your personal or bank account details to people you’re communicating with online, particularly over unregulated platforms like Facebook Marketplace.

Another common scam at the moment comes in the form of text messages about courier packages.

These seem to be quite clever, often arriving when people are legitimately expecting a package delivery.

The message will say that the item couldn’t be delivered, or has extra charges that need to be paid.

In both cases, the message will contain a link to make a payment, which of course will take your bank details and give others access to your account.

Again, never enter your bank details through a link in a message or email.

Not all scams are digital, though - there are still phone call scams doing the rounds.

Often, these involve callers claiming to be from real banks, offering ‘investment opportunities’ as a way to get your bank details.

Don’t be fooled by tactics like callers with English accents or pressure to act quickly.

Slow the process down; a real bank will not call you with anything so urgent that you cannot take the time to go into a branch and speak to a real person to check it’s legitimate.

You wouldn’t hand your wallet to a stranger, so don’t hand over your bank details.

Understand that when you share information online, it’s not secure, it’s not private - it’s a public space.

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