Katikati residents warned after phone scam costs elderly person thousands

An elderly Katikati resident was scammed out of thousands of dollars earlier this month after receiving a phone call from someone falsely claiming to be from Spark. The caller spent two hours on the line giving the victim instructions that handed scammers access to their bank account, after which money was transferred out. The fraudsters also persuaded the victim to leave their bank cards in an envelope at their front door.

Separately, a number of people in the area have been receiving text messages from a fraudulent party impersonating the New Zealand Police. The messages claim the recipient has unpaid fines and include a link to pay them. Police have confirmed they do not send such texts and people should ignore them entirely.

Two Facebook-related scams were also reported locally. In one case, a prospective buyer took an electric EasyRider Cruiser bike for a test ride from a Francis Drive address on 10 May — after the owner had advertised it on Facebook — and never returned. In another incident, a seller was asked for a deposit before goods changed hands; when the buyer refused to send further money, the scammer cut off contact.

Sergeant Steve Hindmarsh is urging the community to stay vigilant. Residents are advised never to give remote access to their devices or bank accounts to unsolicited callers, and to avoid paying deposits online before physically securing any item they are purchasing.

Originally published in Katikati News (Sun Media).