Police are investigating the alleged five-year scam which utilised doctored images depicting the supposed four-star retired general with a South Island mayor at a southern hospital.
Netsafe chief online safety officer Sean Lyons said these were well-established scams both internationally and in New Zealand.
The story might change and the people involved might be different — be it military personnel, television personalities or engineers — but the mechanism behind the scam was the same.
‘‘You name the profession, we’ve probably had scams reported to us using that story, using that narrative to try and convince people.
‘‘I’m sure it must be immensely distressing for the individual and their family, but all too often, people are falling victim to these kind of targeted attacks.’’
The scam was an example of a ‘‘deeply considered operation’’ that was a long way from what many people were familiar with; it was stepping into territory that was essentially organised crime, Mr Lyons said.
It was unlikely a single individual had the resources, effort or energy to build the level of trust required to pull the wool over someone’s eyes like this, he said.
‘‘This is likely to be an organisation and an operation that is practised and skilled, whose entire reason for existence is to create financial, psychological, and emotional harm to an individual, or for a financial payer.
‘‘It’s a big payout and so you can see why it is something that a group of individuals could easily invest that time in.’’
Such scams were so awful because they preyed on human vulnerabilities and a person’s desire to connect with other people — they could cause ‘‘absolutely huge trust issues’’.
The growing use of AI in such ruses was also of real concern to Netsafe, Mr Lyons said.
Mr Lyons urged caution of relationships that advanced at speed.
He suggested running a scenario by other people who were not emotionally connected to it and could be objective.
Family and friends who spotted warning signs should approach the situation with empathy. Feelings of judgement would probably stop the victim from seeking any help.
Sergeant Matt Lee said the woman presented to the front counter at the Dunedin Central Police Station on Saturday seeking advice about a document — a court release for ‘‘an American general’’.
It was revealed the woman had been buying vouchers and sending them to the supposed general, as well as Bitcoin and bank transfers.
‘‘She initially didn’t want to accept the fact that she’s been scammed, but later told police it’s been ongoing for five years,’’ Sgt Lee said.
‘‘She believes she’s sent potentially around $800,000.’’
The woman showed police photos that appeared to show the general pictured with a South Island mayor at a South Island hospital, but police determined these had been either digitally altered or made with AI, Sgt Lee said.
Age Concern New Zealand chief executive Karen Billings-Jensen said ‘‘no financial abuse is OK’’.
‘‘It is terrible to hear news of someone losing savings through a scam and our thoughts go out to this person.’’
Scams affected people of all ages, but the impact could be more severe for older people.
Retirees and those on fixed incomes often had far less ability to recover financially, as there were limited opportunities to replace lost savings.
‘‘It is during these moments in people’s lives where family, friends and community become even more important.’’
Contact Netsafe
help@netsafe.org.nz, text ‘‘Netsafe’’ to 4282, call 0508 638 723
