Spark is warning its customers to beware of phone calls from fraudsters who claim to be from the telecommunications company.
The fraudsters ask customers for personal details - such as bank or credit card details - or demand that money be transferred to an offshore bank account.
The fraudsters are reportedly telling customers their Spark services will be cut off due to security issues unless they change their settings or clean up their computers.
Their marks are then directed to a website where they are asked to download some software or give the caller remote access to their computer and provide personal banking information.
Sometimes they are instructed to leave their phone off the hook for several days following the 'setting change' as part of this scam.
In some instances, the fraudsters are giving customers a made-up "employee number" to verify their identity, and are gaining access to people's bank accounts by claiming customers have exceeded their data limit and need to hand over credit card details to cover the cost.
Customer Service general manager Bridgette Dalzell said that it was vital that customers did not visit fraudulent webpages, or provide any personal banking information.
"The most important thing to remember is that we will never ring customers out of the blue and ask them for personal information such as bank details or passwords.
"If you receive a call out of the blue from someone claiming to be from Spark who asks you for personal details, you should end the call as quickly as possible," she said.
"These fraudsters appear to be actively monitoring our activity and copying our methods of communication, so we know it can be difficult for customers to tell the different between genuine calls and fake ones.
"Anyone who suspects they have been the victim of this scam and who has passed on bank account details or logged into online banking while on one of these calls, should contact their bank immediately."
Spark customers who wish to share details of scam calls, or who have any particular concerns, should email scamhelp@spark.co.nz.
