HOLIDAY scams
BE WARY OF UNSOLICITED MAIL PROMISING A PRIZE
The saying “if something seems too good to be true, then it probably is” certainly holds true when it comes to the travel scratch card hoaxes that have hit the country. Steer clear! Kevin Milne CONSUMER
Before Christmas, you received a glossy travel brochure in the mail from “Get it on Holiday” in Malaysia containing two scratchies. One of the scratchies revealed you’d won $190,000. But when you tried to claim it, you were told that before the prize could be released, you had to send money to cover taxes or fees. You didn’t pay, but it niggles that you may have kissed goodbye to a fortune.
No, you didn’t. These Malaysian scratchie cards are a scam. The brochures come from “travel agencies” that go under hundreds of different names and nearly always say you’re a winner. The Commerce Commission has investigated these and similar scams, and is unaware of any consumer who has received their prize. The scammers rely on a small proportion of people sending in money to “release” a prize that never existed. New versions of the same scam are continuously coming to light. While most of us are getting pretty good at detecting these rip-offs, it’s important we inform elderly relatives and friends about them – the elderly tending to be more trusting.
You recently mislaid your driver’s licence and now have to order a replacement. You have the option of having your address printed on your licence or not. Should you do this or not?
I don’t think it’s a good idea. Clearly, there is the advantage in that if you lose your licence and it’s found by an honest citizen, you’ll probably have it returned to you quicker. But if your driver’s licence is found by someone dishonest or if it’s stolen, then the last thing you need is for that person to find out where you live. When people lose their driver’s licence, often it’s because they’ve lost their wallet or had it stolen. It’s very likely their credit cards and other identifying cards will also be gone. The risk here is that the thief may attempt to steal your identity – in other words, try to take money from your bank accounts or buy stuff making out they are you. To make this more difficult, the less information they know about you the better. Besides, if you simply change address, you’re up for paying for another new licence. So I would say “no” to getting your address printed on your new driver’s licence.