Auckland Phone Scam alert for Indian Community

A phone scammer in Central Auckland imposing as a policeman has targeted an unsuspecting family in the Indian community, by telling that a member of their family has been arrested and would only be freed in lieu of some hefty cash payments.

The Indian Weekender has learnt through a close friend of the family that the victim family is quite stressed as they have lost thousands of dollars “of their single income hard working money.”

“The family is traumatized and very stressed at the moment.

“They got a beautiful young child who might have to compromise few of her dreams as a result of this loss,” the friend and well-wisher of the family told The Indian Weekender.

The person over the phone managed to convince the wife that husband was arrested on some fraudulent charges and can only be released after the payment, unfortunately wife followed all the instructions which were given over the phone over a period of few hours and purchased over $7600 worth of iTunes gift card from supermarkets in Mt Roskill area within a span of 5 hours on the same day.

The scammer then managed to get all the pin codes from the gift card over the phone.

Detective Sergeant Bridget Doell from the Auckland City Police Financial Crime Unit says the scammers have been targeting members of our Indian community.

“These scams are quite complex, and on at least one occasion the scammer has known personal information about the victim.

“Police, or any other government agency, will never demand money or any other form of payment over the phone.

“In no instance would a call like this be genuine.

If you receive a suspicious call, do not engage with them and hang up immediately.

“If you think you’ve been scammed, we urge you to report the incident as soon as possible to your nearest police station and warn your friends and family, so others in the community are also aware of this scam.”

Detective Sergeant Doell says Police are making enquiries into these incidents and working to identify those involved in the scam.

“These scammers are preying on members of our community who may not be completely familiar with New Zealand law and our Police practices.