Bank sees spike in phishing scams, urges vigilance
ANZ warned of a rise in phishing scams, with fraudulent emails and texts potentially causing significant financial loss.
“Clicking on a malicious website link in a scam text message can result in a customer losing all of their savings or having their credit card exploited,” Alan Thomsen (pictured above), ANZ’s head of customer protection said.
Sophisticated scam tactics
Fraudsters often impersonate banks or other legitimate organisations to deceive people into transferring money.
ANZ reported that criminals have been making cold calls pretending to be from the bank’s fraud team, further tricking customers into believing their accounts are compromised.
“The criminals behind these scams are highly organised and often mimic bank processes to trick people into paying them money,” Thomsen said.
Online scams proliferate through social media
More than half of all recorded scams now originate online, particularly on social media platforms like Facebook Marketplace. Thomsen stressed the need for greater efforts to identify and eliminate malicious content online.
“The majority of scams start online, via social media and search engines, including through paid and promoted content,” he said.
ANZ’s advice to customers
To combat phishing scams, ANZ stressed the importance of vigilance. Customers are reminded that ANZ will never ask them to move money to another account for safety, nor will it send text messages with links to websites.
“You should never give the two-factor authentication codes your bank sends you to anyone – even the police,” Thomsen said.
A call for greater collaboration
Highlighting the effectiveness of anti-scam centres in Singapore and Australia, ANZ advocates for a similar collaborative approach in New Zealand. Such centres combine police resources with those from financial institutions and other sectors to more effectively combat scams.
“Greater collaboration across multiple sectors is required to better protect New Zealanders,” Thomsen said.
Customers impacted by fraud or scams are encouraged to contact ANZ immediately for assistance.
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