On Thursday morning, Kirsty Mason received an email from someone who she thought was her therapist.
The sender said their niece was sick with liver cancer, and asked her for iTunes vouchers.
She realised soon after she had been scammed.
"I’m pissed off," Mrs Mason said.
"Scammers are prevalent at any time of the year, but I want the public to know about this scam, so that they don’t have it happen to them."
When she had received scam emails in the past, Mrs Mason said she had been able to tell they were sent from a fraudulent email address.
But she said the email in question had come straight from her therapist’s email account.
The scammer had sent her another email requesting $500, so their niece could buy a phone.
Mrs Mason emailed the scammer back telling them to go away, and that she was on to them.
She had since rung her bank, lodged a report of the incident with police and wanted the public to be aware of the scam.
She said her therapist was devastated their account had been hacked and was worried others might have been targeted.
Mrs Mason thought it was exceptionally nasty the scammer had exploited her sympathy for those with a terminal illness, as she was aware a lot of children around New Zealand had cancer.
"It’s just disgusting."
"Pretending someone has cancer and preying on someone is just as low as you get."
This was the first time she had been scammed — and hopefully the last, Mrs Mason said.
She advised people to always double-check who had sent them emails.
"Just beware — if it seems a bit odd, verify it."
