Police are aware of reports emerging in several police districts where people have received a scam phone call over a landline from someone claiming to be a Police Officer.

District Manager Criminal Investigations, Detective Inspector John Van Den Heuvel, is urging people to be alert to the scam.

"The ‘officer’ on the phone will claim to be from a particular branch or police department, tell you that you have been a victim of fraud or a scam, and begin to try and obtain further financial information from you," says Detective Van Den Heuvel.

People have been directed to go to their bank and withdraw money for evidence of the supposed scam, then wait at home with the money to be handed over to another offender (scammer) after a code word is provided to the victim as part of the elaborate scam.

"This phone call is a scam – no legitimate Police Officer will ever ask you over the phone to hand over money, for any reason whatsoever," says Detective Van Den Heuvel.

"If you want to establish if the 'officer' is genuine, ask for their full details, then hang up, contact Police on 105, tell Police you think you may be talking to a scammer and request someone check the 'officer's' details for you."

Detective Van Den Heuvel says older members of our community are being targeted and Police urge anyone with older, vulnerable relatives or friends to make them aware of this unlawful activity.

"The scammers have been phoning landlines because our older members of the community predominantly use landlines."

Since June, Police have had several instances of this being reported and have made arrests in Auckland and Wellington.

Three people are currently before the courts in relation to scamming vulnerable people in the Auckland and Wellington Districts.

One of these, a 26-year-old UK national, has since been convicted of scamming more than $330,000 out of 21 Auckland victims.

Since his arrest on June 24 following a foot chase through Auckland, this offender has pled guilty to 27 fraud charges and he remains in custody for sentencing in November 2024.

"People will need to be vigilant because enquiries into reports of such scams are ongoing," says says Detective Van Den Heuvel.

"New Zealand Police will also never contact people seeking their banking details, card numbers, PIN, or passwords.

"There are instances where legitimate Police Officers will contact you as part of their duties, but New Zealand Police will never ask you to withdraw money."

Remember:

• Police will never ask for details about your bank cards, PIN, or passwords over a land-line phone call
• Trust your instincts, if something doesn't feel right, or is too good to be true, it probably isn’t
• If you are approached, check in with a trusted friend or relative
• If you are still uncertain or confused, ask for the officer’s details, hang up, contact 105 and request that 'officer' call you back
• Police aren’t in the business of offering prize money.

If you are in the unfortunate position of being a victim of a scam, please report the matter to Police.

Take the chance to upskill yourself on scam awareness, check for further information on the Netsafe website: https://netsafe.org.nz/