The Department of Internal Affairs

Te Tari Taiwhenua | Department of Internal Affairs

Building a safe, prosperous and respected nation



About scams and phishing

Scams and phishing are both forms of fraudulent activities that are intended to deceive and manipulate individuals into giving away personal or sensitive information or money.

How to identify a scam

Scams refer to any fraudulent scheme or trickery used to swindle or cheat someone out of their money or valuables. Scammers may use a variety of tactics to gain the trust of their victims, such as posing as legitimate companies or organisations, offering fake investment opportunities, or using emotional appeals to exploit someone’s vulnerabilities. See below for signs that indicate a message may be a scam.

Some signs that indicate a message may be a scam are when it is sent from a contact but does not match how they normally talk to you; when they claim to be from a financial institution or a well known entity and request personal information; when they contain too many grammatical or spelling errors; when they get your name wrong; when they ask for financial help; when they add a link you are unsure about; when they say you need to claim money or prizes for a lottery.

If you receive a message that demonstrates any of the above signs, report it to us, delete it, or mark it as spam. As a good rule of thumb, any offer that sounds too good to be true usually is.

A scam becomes fraud when a scammer gets someone’s personal or financial details and uses them for their own gain or receives money from their target under false pretences. Fraud is a criminal offence. If you have been the victim of a scam, report the matter to the police on their website or by calling 105.

For more information about how to report scams see our how to report scams page.

How to identify a phishing attempt

Phishing is a type of scam where a scammer attempts to deceive individuals into giving their sensitive personal information by impersonating a reputable organisation (such as a bank or government agency) via email or message. See below for signs that indicate an email or a message may be a phishing attempt.

Some signs that indicate a message or email may be a phishing attempt are when they contain an offer that is too good to be true; they contain a hyperlink, some of which may be designed to appear like a common website; when they contain attachments; and when they come from an unusual sender.

If you receive a message that demonstrates any of the above signs, report it to us, delete it, or mark it as spam. As a good rule of thumb, any offer that sounds too good to be true usually is.

A scam becomes fraud when a scammer gets someone’s personal or financial details and uses them for their own gain or receives money from their target under false pretences. Fraud is a criminal offence. If you have been the victim of a scam, report the matter to the police on their website or by calling 105.

For more information about how to report scams see our how to report scams page.

Support for victims of online scams

For victim support for online scams, you can contact IDCARE either by visiting their website or calling them on 0800 121 068.