Impersonation scams

This is when someone contacts you by phone, text, email or letter claiming to be a government agency for example the police, Inland Revenue, Immigration, a District Court, or your bank.

It's usually about a serious problem such as tax debt, an arrest warrant or suspicious activity on your bank account, and you will likely be told that you need to act quickly.

Caller ID can be manipulated, so it might show a real agency number.

• If you sent money call your bank's fraud line as soon as possible. In some circumstances, there may be a limited time to stop, trace, or recover a payment.
• If you gave remote access to your device disconnect it from the internet immediately. Avoid using it for banking, email, or other sensitive activities until it has been checked by a trusted technician.
• If you provided personal information change your passwords now. Start with your email and online banking. If possible, do this on different device. Check the security and privacy settings on your accounts for additional options, such as signing out of other devices or active sessions.
• If payment was made by gift card keep the cards and receipts, packaging and any related communications. These may help with reporting and finding out what happened.
• If you were asked to transfer money to a ‘safe account’ tell your bank. Scammers sometimes pose as banks or other trusted organisations and use safe accounts to convince people to transfer funds.
• If you shared identity documents such as your driver licence or passport, consider contacting the issuing agency for advice and support. This may include:
  • NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) for driver licence information
  • Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) for passport information

Outcomes depend on the payment method and how quickly you made contact with the bank.  Bank transfers have a short recall window. Payments made by gift card, cryptocurrency, or international bank transfer are difficult to recover.

Even if money cannot be recovered, reporting what happened and taking steps to protect your accounts and personal information can help reduce further harm.

This is when someone claiming to be from a tech company, internet provider or bank security team contacts you and says you have a problem that must be fixed. They ask you to install software, give them access to your device, or transfer money.

Legitimate technology companies do not contact customers unexpectedly to report problems on their devices.

If you have provided remote access to your device:

• disconnect your internet connection immediately
• contact your bank’s fraud team straight away if you transferred money. Use the official support or fraud phone number provided by your bank
• do not use the affected device for banking, email, or anything sensitive until it has been checked. If possible, use a different device for your immediate calls
• change your passwords from a different, trusted device starting with your email and then online banking
• check your accounts for any unusual activity including transactions, password changes, or unfamiliar logins.
• have your device checked by a trusted technician before returning it to normal use
• ask your bank to review your accounts if you are concerned someone may have accessed your banking information.

If the scam was identified early and no money was transferred, changing passwords, securing accounts, and having the device checked may help prevent further harm.
If money was transferred or personal information was accessed, recovery may take longer and may involve working with your bank and other organisations.

Even when the immediate issue has been addressed, it is important to continue monitoring your accounts and personal information for any unusual activity.

Business email compromise is when a scammer sends an email that appears to come from a trusted person or organisation.

The email may request a payment, ask for banking details to be changed, request login credentials, or direct someone to transfer funds.
In some cases, the email is made to closely resemble a genuine email. In others, a legitimate email account has been compromised and is being used by the offender.

Scammers may also have access to previous email conversations and refer to genuine invoices, projects, suppliers, or work arrangements to make the request seem legitimate.

• If a payment was made call your bank's fraud team immediately.
• Do not reply to the email. Instead contact the person or organisation using a trusted phone number or contact method you know is genuine.
• If login credentials were shared change your passwords starting with email and any systems that may have been accessed.
• Tell your employer or organisation what happened if this occurred in a work context. Preserve the email and all associated records. Do not delete anything.
• Check whether any other payments or account changes were made around the same time to identify any other activity.
• Report to police.
• If your organisation's systems were involved and the compromise may affect other systems or sensitive data, report to the National Cyber Security Centre(external link).

Many impersonation scams begin with a phishing message.

This means an email, text or call that pretends to be from a trusted source and asks you to urgently click a link or enter details. Phishing, and what to do if you've clicked a link or entered details, is covered on our cybercrime page. 

Cybercrime

It is important to know that what happened is not your fault.

Cybercriminals use increasingly sophisticated methods. They target people from all walks of life, and anyone can be affected.

You may be feeling shocked, embarrassed, angry, frustrated, overwhelmed, or worried about what could happen next. These reactions are common. Some people want to take action immediately, while others need time to process what has happened.

Even if you clicked a link, shared information, transferred money, or gave someone access to your device, support is still available. Taking action now may help reduce further harm and protect your accounts, finances, and personal information.

Seek support from people you trust, your bank, relevant organisations, or specialist support services.