Counties Manukau Police are calling on families and neighbours to ensure elderly or vulnerable members of their family are aware of ongoing attempts by scammers to get their banking details.
Police are urging all members of the community to be extra vigilant about bank account security and to not provide any bank details or remote access to digital devices.
“Prevention first is key, do not engage with scammers, keep your funds and personal information secure,” says detective senior sergeant Kevin Tiernan, of O/C area investigations, Manurewa.
“We’re asking everyone to be mindful of the risks. The reality is what we’re seeing is highly distressing to a person who has lost money through a scam.”
Police say if anyone asks someone to open a bank account on their behalf and put the banking card in their mailbox in exchange for payment, it is a scam.
It’s likely the scammers will use the bank account to launder money.
“The promise of extra money is tempting, but the offer of free money in these circumstances must be viewed with extreme caution,” Tiernan says.
“If it sounds too good to be true then it probably is.”
Counties Manukau Police say: “If you’re found to be actively participating in the receiving and forwarding of funds obtained through fraudulent means, you could be investigated and charged for criminal offending.”
They urge people to take a commonsense approach to anyone they don’t know who asks about their accounts.
“This kind of activity is money laundering and if your account is found to be connected, you could be held responsible,” Tiernan says.
“Saying someone else accessed your account doesn’t get you off the hook.”
