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Scam alert

Spot that scam! 8 signs of financial fraud

14 November 2016
Reading time: 3 minutes


Posted by Tom Hartmann , 5 Comments

Are there bullseyes on our backs? Just three weeks ago one of the team at Sorted had their bank account drained in a “phishing” expedition, to the tune of $14,000! Scammers send millions of phony hyperlink “hooks” out via text or email in the hope that someone unwittingly will get caught out – and she was one.

“Clicking on a link now is like going into a dark street or dark alley to get somewhere,” she says.

It’s Fraud Awareness Week, here and around the globe. A week like this is part of the solution: looking out for each other as we navigate the everyday world, especially our messages, inboxes and as we surf online.

Scams these days are more sophisticated than ever, highly engineered to line fraudsters’ pockets here or overseas. Official-looking emails, texts and entire websites can end up just being a front to con us.

If we take the bait, we’re on the hook for our personal data, hard-earned cash or other digital property – credit card details, scans of our driving licence or passport – that can be traded online.

In this case, it was the lure of an email touting a new app from her bank, complete with all the usual branding and secure password loop that she expected. When she compared the messages afterwards, only a single word was different between the bank’s usual message and the phisher’s.

Because these scams use everyday hyperlinks, spam blockers are no use in filtering them out. There are typically no viruses or malware in the emails or texts that carry them. Indeed, there’s little difference to a spam blocker between a phisher’s emails and our own email signatures these days. So some are always bound to get through.

Her bank informed her that three withdrawals had gone out within the space of an hour – $10,000, then $2,000 and another $2,000.

“I went into a state of shock and went, ‘What?!’” she says. Her partner was fuming.

How to spot a scam

Here are eight warning signs to watch for with scams in general.

You’ll find more valuable tips on the Consumer Protection website. To report a scam, go to netsafe.org.nz or call 0508 638 723.

Investment scams are especially dangerous, since they target those with a lot to lose – like savers who have built up a nest egg over their careers that may need to fund their next 30 years. The Financial Markets Authority has key steps to take to protect yourself before you invest.

In the case of the drained $14,000, thankfully the story has a happy ending. The bank, detecting something suspicious about that first $10,000 withdrawal, set aside the funds in a holding account instead of finalising the transaction. Indeed, if the scammer had not been so greedy, they may well have got away with a smaller amount.

“We got lucky,” she says. “We would’ve lost the funds.”

Stay vigilant out there!

Comments (5)

Comments

  • Gravatar for George

    1 April 23
    George

    There is a new scam out there these days which are Investment scams perpetrated via romance dating.The scammer makes the victim believe they are both investing into their future together. This scam is a menace to the society at large.

  • Gravatar for David

    7 June 20
    David

    Times have changed. Technology is evolving everyday. There are new innovations that do not only trace bitcoin addresses but find out what platform or exchange they belong to. Anyone would agree that this is a big step in recovering coins.

  • Gravatar for aana

    21 October 19
    aana

    I agree with this article as i have being a victim of these fake brokers. I invested about $590K Binary option and
    all could do in my first withdrawal was $59k. Then my money started going down the drain till i was left with only
    the bonus they said i couldn’t withdraw until i fund my account again. The trend continued and i lost everything. Not one dollar was left. I almost died knowing i was scammed.

  • Gravatar for joseph

    18 September 18
    joseph

    I was a victim of binary options scam. I was shattered and distraught, thought all hope was lost when I lost my money as i have invested all most of my savings. I made contact with the authorities, but was still on the same spot after 8 months. At this point, i decided to look for alternative options, then i came about a company that handles these sort of situations They asked for all necessary information and data, did their research and in a matter of a month and few weeks i was able to get back majority of my lost funds. To be completely honest, I was skeptical at first but i decided to give it a shot since i had seen the worst.

  • Gravatar for russ

    6 September 18
    russ

    Lost thousand of dollars trading binary option through GToptions , couldn’t withdraw my investment not to talk of my winnings. I had to hire a refund solution professional they recovered 80% of my investment.

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