As we deal with COVID-19 related disruptions, sadly it is in times like this that cybercriminals and scammers increase their attempts to take advantage of us, our whānau and businesses.

In Aotearoa, each week millions of scam and phishing type emails a month are received.

Our friends at ANZ urge us all to remain vigilant and to remind your colleagues, friends and whānau to be alert to these threats – for both businesses and personal matters.  There are some highlights from ANZ’s ‘Banking Safely Guide’ to help remind us of a few important things.

A few things to remember to help keep yourself safe:

Anyone can fall victim to a scam.  That’s because scammers don’t discriminate and will target people of any gender, age-group or socio-economic background.  It’s important that you familiarise yourself with how scams can target you.

Things to be wary of:

  • Being asked to click an attachment that downloads malware.
  • Being asked for your personal information such as security details, credit card details, password, PIN or security codes.
  • Being asked to click a link to access your internet banking.
  • Being asked to download software that allows remote access to your devices.

How to protect yourself:

  • Be very wary of unexpected calls
  • Make sure that you perform sufficient checks before giving your details to an unsolicited caller or replying to emails offering financial advice or urgent investment opportunities
  • Be careful about clicking on links or attachments in emails and text messages.  Hover your cursor over the link to see which website it leads to and if you have doubts, don’t click
  • Only shop at websites you trust
  • Always type URLs (website addresses) directly
  • Act quickly – if you think you’ve downloaded an attachment or clicked on a link in an ANZ branded email or text message that may be suspicious, contact your bank immediately.

Where to go for advice and help:

  • cert.govt.nz – a government agency working to improve cyber security in New Zealand.
  • police.govt.nz
  • netsafe.org.nz – provides practical tools, support and advice for keeping safe online.
  • your bank