Sophisticated fraud site prompts warning

AUCKLAND: A sophisticated online scam is using the good name of a major footwear brand to target New Zealand shoppers.

The individuals behind the scam have created a faux retail site that prominently features the branding of major Japanese sports brand Mizuno.

On the surface, the website looks as though it is the legitimate local arm of Mizuno.

The site is hosted at Mizunonz. co.nz and features slick imagery and a range of Mizuno products priced in New Zealand dollars.

Everything from the design of the site to the imagery of the products have the appearance of being legitimate.

The first hint that all is not what it seems occurs when the user creates a new account.

The confirmation email that arrives in the user's inbox comes from a Gmail account rather than anything associated with Mizuno.

Attempts to email the account simply result in a bounceback.

The Herald contacted an official Mizuno retailer in Singapore to find out if the site was in any way affiliated with the brand.

‘‘We have checked that — the site is a phishing website and it is not affiliated with Mizuno,’’ the support team said.

New Zealand's domain name commission, which provides information on all registered .nz websites, shows that the site was first registered on May 23, 2020, in France.

The registrant is an individual named Sara Wolf, who appears to be located in Germany. Attempts to contact Wolf have proven unsuccessful.

Online safety organisation Cert NZ warns these types of scams are becoming more common.

‘‘At Cert NZ, we have seen a rise in websites operating from overseas that make it look like they are a legitimate New Zealand business,’’ the organisation said.

‘‘They might use a .co.nz URL, a New Zealand phone number, an image of a New Zealand flag, or state that they are New Zealand based, when in fact, they're not.

‘‘This leads people to believe that they are buying a product from a NZregistered online shopping site because it ends in .co.nz, rather than a foreign scam site.’’

Big brand shoes are among the most common product used to run this type of scam, and consumers have been warned to exercise caution. — The New Zealand Herald