Scam and spam calling has become a problem across all networks with more and more customers being targeted.
To help you to steer clear we advise the following:
- Be suspicious of international numbers you don’t know. Don’t answer international calls if you don’t know the caller and don’t call unknown numbers back if you miss a call from them. (Some scammers are trying to get you to call or text them back at premium rate numbers which you will have to pay for.)
- Be very careful if anyone calls you claiming to be your bank, electricity supplier etc. If in doubt you can always call the company back using their official contact number.
The TCF offers consumers lots of helpful advice around mobile and SMS scams so please refer here for more information.
Received a suspicious call from someone?
Some excellent information on past and current scams is available on the Ministry of Consumer affairs website at http://www.scamwatch.govt.nz. If you have recently experienced a potential scam or hoax, you can fill out the Report a Scam Form on this site.
As soon as you realize that you have been the victim of a scam, you should act to protect yourself. If you act early enough, you may prevent or reduce the impact of the scam. Some information on what to do is available on the Ministry of Consumer affairs website’s Scammed? Take action Section.
Scams could be anything, but are most commonly around obtaining your personal information, specifically your credit card or bank account details. Below are some brief details around some other scams that have been reported to us recently.
Computer Virus
Someone will contact your home phone number, possibly addressing you by your surname (it appears they are using the local directories to obtain contact details) and advise that they can detect that your home computer has been or is being infected by viruses or Trojans.
They will then ask you to perform some quick tasks on your computer in order to remove the viruses or Trojans. The steps they take you through will actually allow the caller to access your computer, and thus access all of your personal information.
If you believe you have been a victim to this scam, please refer to http://www.scamwatch.govt.nz
If any suspicious activities, you can report them and any details to us through to our Support Team by calling 0508 DTS NOW (3387 669) Option 2 from your phone or by emailing us at support@dtsanz.com. Where we will investigate the source further and block the scam calls where possible.