“Is this still available?” A seemingly normal message comes through on Facebook Marketplace.

After some back and forth about the item for sale and who will collect it, the so-called buyer asks to pay via PayPal.

When I tell her I don’t have it, she demands I create an account, messaging me while I’m doing so to make sure I am, as if it’s imperative.

But then she tells me I have to register my account as a business account for her to pay me – and to do that, she needs to pay me $300 which I must then refund.

“It’s OK,” she says when I don’t answer quickly enough; she’s been through the process too. “It’s very safe.”

And though I get an email notification about the apparent payment – which I did not consent to – there’s nothing in my inbox and no money in my account.

But the woman insists she’s made the payment, and then threatens me when I tell her I can’t refund her.

It's a modus operandi that uses urgency and intimidation to catch a person off guard and scare them into paying – a common tactic.

There’s a false perception that only older or less tech-savvy Kiwis are susceptible to scams. But as Age Concern chief executive Karen Billings-Jensen points out, they are “very skilled at making people trust them”.

"We’ve all been tired or busy and clicked on a link in an email or text that looked legitimate at first glance," she says.

Her own staff have received phishing emails that appeared to be from her.

According to the Government’s Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT), Kiwis report an average of 2274 scam incidents each quarter, averaging a collective loss of about $5.2 million.

The vast majority of cyber crime incidents reported in the third quarter of 2023 were scams and fraud relating to buying and selling or donating goods, though job opportunities and romance scams remain popular.

And the age groups most susceptible are people between the ages of 25 and 54 – with the 35 to 44 age bracket most affected.

Karen says it's hard to get a real handle on numbers though, because a lot of people are too embarrassed about being caught out to report a scam.

“You shouldn’t be ashamed. Seek help straight away,” she says. “The longer it’s left, the harder it becomes to get your money back. We need to talk about it because you can stop it happening to someone else.”

Age Concern offers digital literacy support and Karen says staying safe online is all about digital confidence.

“Just slow down. Listen to the messaging from your bank. Never give out personal information. Don’t get caught up in the anxiety and if it looks too good to be true, it probably is.”

In its most recent Sentiment Tracker survey, Consumer NZ found that more than half of Kiwi households had been targeted by a scam in the past year, and while people older than 70 were more likely to be targeted, people in their 40s were most likely to have lost money to a scammer.

Spokesperson Jessica Walker says research shows scam victims tend to be stressed, tired or distracted, and therefore more likely to be defrauded.

“This resonates with our findings – it’s not unusual for people in their 40s to be juggling multiple demands such as parenting, working, and possibly caring for elderly relatives – this makes them more at risk of falling victim to a scam.”

Consumer NZ is finding a “huge increase” in SMS scams, says Jessica, where the message comes from someone the person knows, or a government agency urging the recipient to act fast to avoid a penalty.

Police urge Kiwis to always get a second opinion before handing over any money.

“Reports of fraud offences are continuing to rise, and scams are becoming more sophisticated, duping victims out of millions of dollars,” says a spokesperson.

Popular scams reported to police often involve Kiwis being used as money mules, to transfer illegally acquired money on behalf of someone else, and the “term deposit scam”, which involves New Zealand victims and money mules sending money overseas.

Detective Senior Sergeant Craig Bolton, officer in charge of the Auckland City District Financial Crime Unit, wants the public to understand the repercussions of becoming a mule.

“If you are receiving money into your account from people you have not met and don’t know and are passing the money on – you are a money mule, and you could be arrested and prosecuted for money laundering. We understand that getting offered what seems like free money just to pass on can be tempting, but this is a serious crime.”

Netsafe has published a downloadable Little Black Book of Scams detailing common scams, how to avoid them and how to report them.

It’s also developed CheckNetSafe AntiScam to help Kiwis check the legitimacy of websites and links.

The safety organisation has five key tips for staying safe online:

• If you suspect you have received a hoax email, don’t reply to it or open any accompanying attachment – just delete it.
• Visit trusted websites by typing the internet address (URL) into the browser address bar rather than clicking on a link embedded in an email.
• Save frequently used links in your favourites or bookmarks bar.
• Never respond to requests for personal information in an unexpected email or pop-up window. If in doubt, always contact the institution that claims to be the sender of the email or pop-up window for clarification.
• Use a spam filter to help block unsolicited and unwanted emails.

-Louisa Steyl/Stuff.