27 March 2007

Fraud Awareness Month - Protect Your Identity

Scammers are not only looking to take money from consumers warns Liz MacPherson, General Manager of the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, they are on the hunt for personal information.

As part of Fraud Awareness Month, the Ministry of Consumer Affairs is cautioning New Zealand consumers that they need to protect their personal identity from scammers.

"A scam operator's aim may be to steal a consumer's name to open bank accounts, front a scam or use to open accounts to purchase goods or services, says Ms MacPherson.

"Your name, address, bank account details, passport or driver's licence – there is no end to the information a consumer may be asked to give a scammer. Their offers don't exist and neither does their need for personal information."

There are some simple tips that can stop scammers from getting hold of personal information, advises Ms MacPherson:

• Never give out personal information to someone you don't know or trust. Don't make it easy for a scammer to build a personal profile on you – don't provide phone numbers, or information that could be used for passwords (for example, your mother's maiden name).
• Don't just bin personal information, destroy it. Rip up or shred old bank and credit card statements or any information containing personal information.
• Check credit card bills and bank statements regularly for any activity that is not yours. If you find any unauthorised transactions – contact your bank or credit card provider immediately.
• Check your credit report annually. You can get a copy of your credit report from a credit reporting agency. There are two main national credit reporting agencies in New Zealand: Veda Advantage and Dun and Bradstreet.
• Be wary of any identification documents a scammer sends to prove their existence - they may have been stolen from another consumer.

Ms MacPherson says, "You wouldn't hand out credit card information or a copy of your passport to strangers on the street, so don't give personal information to someone you don't know on the internet. Your personal information is valuable. Take care with who gets hold of it."

Background

Consumer scams are crimes of dishonesty, such as forgery, counterfeiting, on-line deception, and theft, that target people who seek to purchase goods and services. Potential victims can be those who use computers and the internet, older people, people whose financial situation makes them interested in "get rich quick schemes", and people who use mobile phones.

As part of a trans-Tasman approach to combat consumer fraud and scams targeted at consumers, the Australasian Consumer Fraud Taskforce was established in March 2005 and comprises 18 government regulatory agencies and departments in Australia and New Zealand.

Agencies participating in the Taskforce are:

New Zealand Government: Commerce Commission; Ministry of Consumer Affairs.

Australian Government: Attorney General's Department; Australian Bureau of Statistics; Australian Communications and Media Authority; Australian Competition and Consumer Commission; Australian Federal Police (represented by the Australian High Tech Crime Centre); Australian Institute of Criminology; Australian Securities and Investment Commission; Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts

State and Territory Governments: All State and Territory Police jurisdictions; Australian Capital Territory - Office of Fair Trading; Consumer Affairs Victoria; New South Wales - Office of Fair Trading; Northern Territory - Department of Justice; Queensland - Department of Tourism, Fair Trading and Wine Industry Development; South Australia - Office of Consumer and Business Affairs; Tasmania - Office of Consumer Affairs and Fair Trading; Western Australia - Department of Consumer and Employment Protection.

New Zealand private sector participants in 2007 Fraud Awareness Month: Visa, members of the New Zealand Bankers' Association, Telecom, Vodafone, TelstraClear, and Trade Me.

Consumers who think they've spotted a scam can get more information and report them on Scamwatch.

Consumers affected by scams can complete the Fraud Awareness Month online survey [link to AIC website].

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