Canterbury district prevention manager, Inspector Ash Tabb, said the person pretending to be an ‘officer’ on the phone will claim to be from a particular branch or police department.
He said the scammer will say you have been a victim of fraud or a scam, and try to obtain further financial information from you.
"People have been directed to go to their bank and withdraw money for evidence of the supposed scam, then wait at home with the money to be handed over to another offender (scammer) after a code word is provided to the victim as part of the elaborate scam.
"This phone call is a scam – no legitimate police officer will ever ask you over the phone to hand over money, for any reason whatsoever.
"If you want to establish if the 'officer' is genuine, ask for their full details, then hang up, contact police on 105, tell police you think you may be talking to a scammer and request someone check the 'officer's' details for you.
"Older members of our community are being targeted and police urge anyone with older, vulnerable relatives or friends to make them aware of this unlawful activity.
"The scammers have been phoning landlines because our older members of the community predominantly use landlines."
Tabb said they have received several reports of the scam since June and have made arrests in Auckland and Wellington.
"Three people are currently before the courts in relation to scamming vulnerable people in the Auckland and Wellington Districts.
"One of these, a 26-year-old UK national, has since been convicted of scamming more than $330,000 out of 21 Auckland victims.
"Since his arrest on 24 June following a foot chase through Auckland, this offender has pled guilty to 27 fraud charges and he remains in custody for sentencing in November 2024."
The police investigation into the scam is ongoing, Tabb said.
"New Zealand police will also never contact people seeking their banking details, card numbers, PIN, or passwords.
"There are instances where legitimate police officers will contact you as part of their duties, but New Zealand police will never ask you to withdraw money.
"If you are in the unfortunate position of being a victim of a scam, please report the matter to police."
To upskill yourself on scam awareness, visit the Netsafe website at https://netsafe.org.nz/
Remember:
• Police will never ask for details about your bank cards, PIN, or passwords over a land-line phone call
• Trust your instincts, if something doesn't feel right, or is too good to be true, it probably isn’t
• If you are approached, check in with a trusted friend or relative
• If you are still uncertain or confused, ask for the officer’s details, hang up, contact 105 and request that 'officer' call you back
• Police aren’t in the business of offering prize money.
