Police are warning people to be aware of a phone scam after a 90-year-old Alexandra man was nearly conned out of hundreds of dollars.
Central Otago sub-area supervisor Senior Sergeant Ian Kerrisk said Alexandra police were told an elderly Alexandra man was nearly scammed in the last week by a company selling holidays.
The company falsely told the man he had stayed at one of their hotels back in 2009 and was owed a refund, Snr Sgt Kerrisk said.
The company told the man he could receive the refund if he purchased $500 of New World vouchers, he said.
"He was then told that a representative would come to his house and give him a cheque for $AU2495 that he could claim a tax credit for," Snr Sgt Kerrisk said.
The scam was discovered after Alexandra Westpac Bank staff realised something was suspicious when the elderly man went into the bank to access his money so he could comply with the company's instructions, he said.
The bank staff took the man to the police station after becoming concerned he was being scammed, Snr Sgt Kerrisk said.
After police were alerted they went to the man's house and answered a call again from the same company, he said.
"The caller had an accent and stated their representative would not come around until the man had given them the code numbers for the vouchers first."
"Police believe that they only required the voucher numbers to gain access to the funds."
The representative, who was a man, was insistent and swore at the elderly Alexandra man. When he hung up another man called and also aggressively tried to get the man to give up the voucher numbers, Snr Sgt Kerrisk said.
"On the final call Police answered the phone and identified themselves but the call went dead straight away."
Police did not believe that there was a representative for this company in Alexandra and said the caller was from overseas.
If you believe you may be on the receiving end of one of these calls, Police advise the following:
- Hang up immediately
- If it doesn't seem right, be cautious, double-check details first
- Look after your personal details in the same way you would your wallet and other possessions: Your personal details are very valuable to scammers, they will use your details to take out loans or run up debts if they can
- Be aware of common scams: For example, banks, Immigration New Zealand or Inland Revenue never email, call or text customers to ask for money to be sent using money transfer services
- If you receive a request like that, it's a scam
- Don’t trust anyone who calls you and asks for your financial related information, such as your account details and password
If you have been targeted by a scam, report it immediately by visiting Consumer Protection's Scamwatch website at www.consumerprotection.govt.nz/get-guidance/scams-and-online-safety/scams
