Leggett said scam victims should contact the platform where the offending happened as soon as possible, and contact Cert NZ.
“At the same time, if there are financial losses involved, we’d always encourage those reporters to go to the bank as soon as possible.”
Leggett said the cybersecurity agency could contact platforms or social media companies directly.
He said platforms generally wanted to help.
It was usually in a social media firm’s best interests to stamp out con artists because rampant scamming could undermine a platform’s reputation.
Leggett also said people should report catfish and other scammers or fake accounts even if no financial loss was involved.
There was strength in numbers when it came to reporting malicious profiles, he said, and a platform would more likely act promptly if it received 20 complaints about a profile than if it received just one or two.
More dating and romance scams have been reported to Cert NZ every quarter since early 2021. In the second quarter of that year, 29 such scams were reported.
But in the third quarter of last year, 65 were reported - and those complaints were believed to be a fraction of the real amount.
Embarrassment or a lack of awareness could prevent victims from reporting scams.
Cert NZ data indicated people most likely to report romance scams were aged 25 to 34 but the ones reporting the most severe financial losses were aged 45-54.
“The reality is the younger age group are more likely to report in general,” Leggett said.
He urged people of all age groups to avoid complacency.
“It’s often not just a financial loss. There’s also a level of emotional harm caused there as well.”
A reformed scammer in December told the Herald how it took him just four days to make a fake Facebook profile and get money from an older woman.
Anti-scam company Social Catfish said people should be on alert now as romance scams were expected to surge around Valentine’s Day.
Overseas, the FBI said scammers were likely to try to exploit people looking for companionship or romance at this time of year.
Flood of bad weather scams expected
Westpac has warned customers about scammers likely to take advantage of the disastrous Auckland Anniversary weekend floods.
“Scammers take advantage of current events to steal money and bank details,” the bank said.
Westpac’s financial crime team expected flood-related scams to surface in the next few days.
It advised people not to click on links in emails or text messages unless those links were confirmed as genuine.
“Westpac will not ask you to click on links to resolve issues with your accounts,” the bank added.
It urged people to be vigilant for unsolicited or unusual calls, texts or emails purporting to be from banks, other businesses or government agencies, or insurers.
The floods were ruinous for thousands of Auckland homeowners and motorists.
Insurers have received so many claims, some have flown in staff from the South Island and Australia to handle the workload.
Westpac said people receiving unsolicited or suspicious phone calls should hang up.
Other scammers might exploit good-natured people who wanted to donate to flood victims.
The bank said donors should only use well-established, reputable fundraising platforms or official charities to make donations.
To report a scam to Cert NZ: https://www.cert.govt.nz/individuals/report-an-issue/
