Cellphone users are now being targeted by scammers, with text-messaging the newest method used to try to defraud people.
Wanaka man Reuben Burke (21) was surprised by a recent text informing him he had won $US650,000.
The text message told him that his mobile's GSM serial number was a winner and to contact an overseas number.
He phoned the Spanish number and was subsequently advised he needed to wire $550 to a bank account number as a "release fee" for his prize money.
The Wanaka-based civil engineer realised then it was a scam.
The Platinum Insurance contact sent in the text message turned out to be a bogus company.
Mr Burke notified the Wanaka police of the fraudulent text scams and also contacted Telecom.
However, both parties say there is little that can be done about the incident, because it involves overseas-based and untraceable scam networks.
Mr Burke said he wanted to spread the word about the scam to warn people how the scammers operated.
He had been pestered by the overseas-based text scammers, who had continued to email and telephone him encouraging him to transfer money.
Wanaka detective Dave Evans said the texting scam was a classic case of fraud "phishing".
Mr Burke had done the right thing by not responding to the "scammers" and contacting the police.
"The sad thing is there are people out there who still get sucked in by these type of schemes," he said.
Scammers targeted the gullible and vulnerable, he said.
"In almost every case there is nothing we [the police] can do. If people send their money through, it disappears into a black hole."
