Even the savviest of internet users are being caught out. There has been a wave of online scams plaguing New Zealanders.
The latest scam involves a fake Air New Zealand website using pop-ups to coax the public into giving away their personal information.
Scammers have been using company names such as Airbnb, Whittaker’s chocolate, and Air New Zealand to fool people when browsing the web.
The promise of free airline tickets grabbed the attention of Monica Leach, who in turn thought she was in with a chance of winning a free holiday after a pop-up website which she believed to be from Air New Zealand, all she had to do was complete a short survey.
She said the website looked legitimate and at the time had no idea it was a scam.
“When I saw it, I thought ‘wow’, so I clicked and put all my contact details in there and then an hour later I saw other comments on Facebook saying it’s a scam. “Now I feel so much like an idiot, it looked so real, so I received a few e-mails and I blocked these. “You need to be so careful.”
Monica was never asked to submit her personal bank details nor to pay any money to the Air New Zealand scam, only to provide some personal details.
Sean Lyons, Director of technology at Netsafe said many people believe they are too clever to be scammed, and while some were savvier than others the scammers were great at snatching the moment.
“They can catch you in the middle of a hectic, busy or difficult time in your life, and then you’re suddenly thinking ‘what have I got to lose, I’ll take a chance’, or ‘I’m just really busy and I’ve got a bank account with that bank and I don’t want to lose access to my online banking’. “They are part of the opportunistic nature of online scams. “Even those of us who are online savvy can fall for them”
“Think about the Airbnb or … Air NZ. At a time when in New Zealand we are traveling around the country, we are staying in holiday locations, it’s then that those scams can often seem more attractive or can seem more real.”
Mark Hollingsworth, Consumer Protection manager said scams seem more real when met by a trusted brand, like Airbnb.
“The scam itself tends to be the same, which is using a trusted brand to trick people into giving away their personal information or making a direct payment,
“And it can be online, [or] over the phone, it’s just about a trusted brand [and] trying to trick consumers.”
Mr. Hollingsworth continued to say even the most harmless-looking cons must be treated with caution, even if the consumers are only giving very little personal information, this information could be dangerous to the consumer if passed to the wrong people.
“Personal information when it’s added up can be used to do an enormous amount … apply for credit fraudulently,” he said.
“If you can give one piece of personal information many times to a scammer through many channels they can build up quite a personal profile of you.”
For more information regarding this article or assistance in any other timeshare related issues please contact the TCA on 01908 881058 or email: info@TimeshareConsumerAssociation.org.uk