‘Spark’ scam targeting the elderly

Elderly New Zealanders have been hit by a phone scam which has left victims hundreds of thousands of dollars out of pocket.

The scam, run by fraudsters claiming to be from Spark and/or the police, convinces victims to withdraw or transfer tens of thousands of dollars from their bank accounts and send it to domestic and international addresses.

Yesterday, police issued a warning about the scam. Detective Sergeant Kevin Blackman said a ‘‘significant number’’ of people have fallen victim.

He said there was a clear pattern of how members of the public were approached and convinced to part with their savings.

‘‘The victims in these matters are almost always contacted initially on their landline phones.

‘‘The caller typically claims they are from Spark, claiming there is a security or internet issue with their computer or router.

‘‘At some point in the conversation, the victims are usually told they are the subject of identity theft/fraud through their emails and told they are being transferred to a member of the ‘Police Cyber Crime Unit’, where they are spoken to by a person claiming to be a police officer.

‘‘The victim is then told that police need their assistance to set up a trap to catch the criminals.’’

Blackman said they were convinced to withdraw large sums of money – often in the area of $10,000 to $15,000 – and given an address to post the money to or bank account to transfer it to.

Blackman said many of the victims were vulnerable, older members of our community who were less technologically-minded and more likely to believe claims they have fallen victim to computer hacking or identity fraud.

‘‘It’s imperative that you warn your family and friends. Never give your personal details over the phone to a stranger.’’