Scammer calls; gets a fraud detective

A phone scammer got a wake-up call when he rung a top fraud detective. Photo: Geoff Sloan
A phone scammer got a wake-up call when he rung a top fraud detective. Photo: Geoff Sloan
Scammers got a bit more than they bargained for when they randomly called a Christchurch fraud detective.

Detective Sergeant Don Fisher got a call from an overseas number, attempting to trick him into handing over his personal details and trying to hack into his computer system.

Read more:

“I got a phone call on my work cellphone. It was an actual person, I was sitting at work. He was speaking away saying ‘good afternoon’ and talking about my computer and that they were working in the area, it went on and on.

“Then he said: ‘Now I will put you on to my supervisor’ and put me onto another man.

He said: ‘Do you understand what my colleague is saying?’ I said: ‘No I don’t could you just explain it all again.’

“Then I said to him: ‘Just for your information, you are talking to a detective sergeant from the Christchurch fraud squad, and while you have been talking to me, we have been tracing your call and the police are outside your building now.’ Well, his language was very colourful. He just lost it. Then he hung up.”

Detective Sergeant Fisher said it was a timely reminder that we can all be caught out.