Be the hero of your scam story | Consumer Protection

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class="visible-xs visible-sm xs-text-center header__hamburger hidden-print" href="/be-the-hero-of-your-scam-story#" aria-label="Open main menu"> <i class="icon-hamburger"></i> </a> <div class="header__search hidden-print"> <form id="site-search-form--compact" action="search/SearchForm" method="GET" enctype="application/x-www-form-urlencoded" role="search" class="form form--compact-search"> <fieldset> <legend class="sr-only">Search</legend> <label for="CompactSearchForm_SearchForm_Search" class="hidden">Search</label> <div class="form__field form__field--text"> <input id="CompactSearchForm_SearchForm_Search" type="text" name="Search" value="" title="Enter search terms" /> </div> </fieldset> <button type="submit" class="header__search-submit-button" aria-label="Search"> <i class="icon-search-teal"></i> </button> </form> </div> </div> </div> </header> <nav class="nav nav--main hidden-print"> <div class="container"> <div class="row"> <div class="col-md-12"> <ul class="nav__items"></ul> </div> <div class="col-md-12"> <div class="nav__mega-menu"></div> </div> </div> </div> </nav> <div class="campaign__banner hidden-print" style="background-image: url(/assets/FAW-22/CPS0002-FAW-Generic-Website-1905x301-1_0-Campaign-1.jpg);"></div> <div class="container layout" id="layout"> <div class="row page-content"> <div class="col-md-10 col-md-push-1 col-lg-8 col-lg-push-2"> <div class="typography spacing-top spacing-top--xs spacing-bottom spacing-bottom--xs"> <p class="intro">Scams hurt us all. They are becoming more common, sophisticated, and difficult to spot.</p> <div class="element dnadesign__elemental__models__elementcontent" id="e1321"> <div class="ElementContent BaseElement DataObject content-element__content defaultcontentblock colour-white"> <h2 style="margin-top: 0cm;">Pause, review, and reflect to avoid a scammer's spell</h2><p style="margin-top: 0cm;">It’s easy to fall into a scam as it becomes harder and harder to tell what’s real and what’s fake. We all have a scam story.</p><p>You can be the hero of your own story by putting protections in place. Pause, review, and reflect, before handing over any personal information or making payments.</p><p>Pause and take some time to think, don’t be rushed into action.  Review the situation by checking contact details and facts and reflect by talking to people you trust. Read on to find out how to protect your information, privacy, and money from scammers.</p> </div> </div> <div class="element dnadesign__elemental__models__elementcontent" id="e1364"> <div class="ElementContent BaseElement DataObject content-element__content defaultcontentblock colour-white"> <h2 class="content-element__title">5 things to do now to reduce your risk of losing money</h2> </div> </div> <div class="row resolve-it-block"> <div class="col-xs-12 col-sm-2 col-sm-push-0 col-md-3"> <img class="resolve-it-block-image" src="/assets/FAW-22/8958-FAW-Icon-Credit-card-GREEN.png" alt="8958 FAW Icon Credit card GREEN"> </div> <div class="col-xs-12 col-sm-10 col-md-9"> <div class='resolve-it-block-content'><h3><strong>1. Check your card security settings</strong></h3><p>Banks offer different types of security features which keep customers’ accounts and cards secure.</p><p>Set daily maximum withdrawal limits, alerts when a card is charged and ability to lock/cancel a card in seconds. </p></div> </div> </div> <div class="row resolve-it-block"> <div class="col-xs-12 col-sm-2 col-sm-push-0 col-md-3"> <img class="resolve-it-block-image" src="/assets/FAW-22/8958-FAW-Icon-Stop-GREEN.png" alt="8958 FAW Icon Stop GREEN"> </div> <div class="col-xs-12 col-sm-10 col-md-9"> <div class='resolve-it-block-content'><h3><strong>2. Stop and check if the investment is real</strong></h3><p>If someone’s asking for a payment, stop and check out whether the request is genuine. Use reviews and get a second opinion. If the payment is part of a scam, there’s very little chance you’ll get the money back.</p></div> </div> </div> <div class="row resolve-it-block"> <div class="col-xs-12 col-sm-2 col-sm-push-0 col-md-3"> <img class="resolve-it-block-image" src="/assets/FAW-22/8958-FAW-Icon-Reduce-GREEN.png" alt="8958 FAW Icon Reduce GREEN"> </div> <div class="col-xs-12 col-sm-10 col-md-9"> <div class='resolve-it-block-content'><h3><strong>3. Reduce daily account withdrawal limits</strong></h3><p>Daily transaction limits are put in place to help protect you from fraud in case someone steals your password or pin and tries to empty your account. Ask your bank how to get account limits working for you.</p></div> </div> </div> <div class="row resolve-it-block"> <div class="col-xs-12 col-sm-2 col-sm-push-0 col-md-3"> <img class="resolve-it-block-image" src="/assets/FAW-22/8958-FAW-Icon-Computer-GREEN.png" alt="8958 FAW Icon Computer GREEN"> </div> <div class="col-xs-12 col-sm-10 col-md-9"> <div class='resolve-it-block-content'><h3><strong>4. Update your contact details at the bank</strong></h3><p>Banks have teams and systems in place looking for suspicious transactions and activity across customers’ accounts. Keep your contact details up to date so bank can get in touch if they suspect suspicious activity.</p><p>Remember, banks will never ask a customer to provide login details.</p></div> </div> </div> <div class="row resolve-it-block"> <div class="col-xs-12 col-sm-2 col-sm-push-0 col-md-3"> <img class="resolve-it-block-image" src="/assets/FAW-22/8958-FAW-Icon-2FA-GREEN.png" alt="8958 FAW Icon 2FA GREEN"> </div> <div class="col-xs-12 col-sm-10 col-md-9"> <div class='resolve-it-block-content'><h3><strong>5. Set up 2FA with your bank</strong></h3><p>Two-step verification helps protect your account from unauthorised activity.</p></div> </div> </div> <div class="ElementController Controller RequestHandler colour-teal block--breakout buttonblock block"> <div class="block--breakout-bg colour-teal"></div> <div class='block__title'><h2>How to identify, avoid and report scams</h2></div> <div class='block__button'> <a href="/general-help/scamwatch" class="button button--primary button--large"> Learn more</a> </div> </div> <div class="element dnadesign__elemental__models__elementcontent" id="e1363"> <div class="ElementContent BaseElement DataObject content-element__content defaultcontentblock colour-white"> <h2 class="content-element__title">Get scam alerts on Facebook with Scamwatch</h2> <p>Every day we are more and more exposed to scams at home, at work and at play. One way you can protect yourself is by staying up to date with the latest scams. Follow our Scamwatch page on Facebook for all the latest scam news and updates.</p><p><a rel="external" href="https://www.facebook.com/FraudInfo"><span><img src="/assets/FAW-22/MicrosoftTeams-image-3__ResizedImageWzI1MCw2Ml0.jpg" alt="" width="250" height="62" class="external center ss-htmleditorfield-file image" loading="lazy"></span><span class="nonvisual-indicator">(external link)</span> </a></p> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="row related-pages"> <div class="col-xs-12 col-md-10 col-md-offset-1 col-lg-8 col-lg-offset-2"> <h2 class="related-pages__title xs-text-center">Related pages you might find useful</h2> <ul class="page-tiles row"> <li class="page-tile page-tile--clear col-sm-6"> <h3 class="page-tile__title"> <a class="page-tile__link" href="/general-help/scamwatch/types-of-scams">Types of scams</a> </h3> <div class="page-tile__content"> Figure out if you are being scammed and what to do about different types of… </div> </li> <li class="page-tile col-sm-6"> <h3 class="page-tile__title"> <a class="page-tile__link" href="/general-help/scamwatch/identify-a-scam">Identify a scam</a> </h3> <div class="page-tile__content"> How to check for scams, recognise if you or someone you know is being scammed,… </div> </li> <li class="page-tile page-tile--clear col-sm-6"> <h3 class="page-tile__title"> <a class="page-tile__link" href="/general-help/scamwatch/avoiding-scams">Avoiding scams</a> </h3> <div class="page-tile__content"> Protect yourself with tips on how to reduce your risk and avoid being caught in… </div> </li> <li class="page-tile col-sm-6"> <h3 class="page-tile__title"> <a class="page-tile__link" href="/general-help/scamwatch/scammed-take-action">Scammed? Take action</a> </h3> <div class="page-tile__content"> What to do if you’ve been scammed and information about who can help. </div> </li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> <div class="footer-search hidden-print"> <div class="container"> <div class="row"> <div class="col-xs-12 col-sm-10 col-sm-push-1 col-md-8 col-md-push-2 col-lg-6 col-lg-push-3"> <h2 class="footer-search__heading">Looking for other topics?</h2> <div class="footer-search__form"> <form id="SearchForm_SearchForm_FooterSearch" action="search/SearchForm" method="GET" enctype="application/x-www-form-urlencoded" role="search" class="form form--footer-search"> <fieldset> <legend class="sr-only">Search Form</legend> <label for="FooterSearchForm_SearchForm_Search" class="hidden">Search</label> <div class="input-group"> <input type="text" name="Search" class="form-control footer-search__input" id="FooterSearchForm_SearchForm_Search" placeholder="Search this website" /> <span class="input-group-btn"> <button class="button button--primary footer-search__button" type="submit" aria-label="Search"> <i class="icon-search-white"> </i> </button> </span> </div> </fieldset> </form> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <footer class="footer"> <div class="container"> <div class="row hidden-print"> <div class="col-sm-12 col-md-3 footer__block footer__block--left"> <div class="row"> <div class="col-md-12"> <h5 class="footer__heading">Main menu</h5> <a class="footer__link footer__link--js-nav" href="general-help">General help</a> <a class="footer__link footer__link--js-nav" href="help-product-service">Help by product & service</a> <a class="footer__link footer__link--js-nav" href="guidance-for-businesses">Business guidance</a> <a class="footer__link footer__link--js-nav" href="news-and-media">News & updates</a> <a class="footer__link footer__link--js-nav" href="research-and-resources">Research and Resources</a> </div> </div> </div> <div class="col-sm-12 col-md-6 footer__block footer__block--center"> <div class="row"> <div class="col-sm-12"> <div class="footer__hairline footer__hairline--sm"></div> <h5 class="footer__heading">What are you looking for?</h5> </div> <div class="col-sm-12 col-md-6"> <a class="footer__link" href="/general-help/consumer-laws/consumer-guarantees-act">Consumer Guarantees Act</a> <a class="footer__link" href="/general-help/consumer-laws/fair-trading-act">Fair Trading Act</a> <a class="footer__link" href="/general-help/common-consumer-issues/faulty-and-unsafe-products">Faulty and unsafe products</a> <a class="footer__link" href="/publications">Publications</a> <a class="footer__link" href="/research-and-resources/school-resources">School resources</a> </div> <div class="col-sm-12 col-md-6"> </div> </div> </div> <div class="col-sm-12 col-md-3 footer__block footer__block--right"> <div class="row"> <div class="col-md-12"> <div class="footer__hairline footer__hairline--sm"></div> <h5 class="footer__heading">About us</h5> <a href="https://facebook.com/ConsumerProtectionNZ" target="_blank" title="Consumer Protection on Facebook"> <i class="icon-facebook" aria-label="Consumer Protection on Facebook"></i> </a> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/consumerprotectionnz" target="_blank" title="Consumer Protection on Instagram"> <i class="icon-instagram" aria-label="Consumer Protection on Instagram"></i> </a> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZn66hvF4S7l_hI23ujqkAw" target="_blank" title="Consumer Protection on YouTube"> <i class="icon-youtube" aria-label="Consumer Protection on YouTube"></i> </a> <a class="footer__link" href="/contact-us">Contact Us</a> <a class="footer__link" href="/sitemap">Sitemap</a> <a class="footer__link" href="/about-us">About us</a> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="row footer__block footer__block--logos hidden-print"> <div class="col-sm-12 col-md-6 xs-text-center md-text-left"> <div class="footer__hairline footer__hairline--sm"></div> <a class="footer__logo footer__logo--mbie" href="http://www.mbie.govt.nz/" target="_blank" title="Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment"> <i class="icon-mbie" aria-label="Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment"></i> </a> </div> <div class="col-sm-12 col-md-6 xs-text-center md-text-right"> <a class="footer__logo footer__logo--nzgovt" href="https://www.govt.nz/" target="_blank" title="New Zealand Government - 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Be the hero of your scam story | Consumer Protection