Hospice Shop targeted by Covid-19 phone scam

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

Hospice Tairawhiti general manager Barbara Grout says there is absolutely no truth to the rumour that people visiting its Peel Street shop need to be tested for Covid.

“We had a call from a visitor to the shop who said she had been contacted by someone purporting to be from Hospice, saying they needed to be tested for Covid,” Mrs Grout said on a Facebook post at the weekend.

“This is not the case. There is no Covid at the Hospice Shop and no one from Hospice has made calls to customers. It is safe to shop here and we are taking all the recommended precautions.”

The shop has the Covid QR code displayed and customers are encouraged to use this as their preferred method of contact tracing.

The matter has been reported to the police who are investigating it further.

Anyone with concerns can contact Hospice directly.

Speaking to The Herald today, Mrs Grout said she had no idea why they had been targeted.

“We provide a community-based service looking after everybody in our community. It's just a shame we have been targeted in this way.”

Another customer who received a similar call also reported the incident to police.

“It's just so disappointing and I would hate to think people might avoid coming to our shop and supporting our service because of this action taken by somebody.”

Tairawhiti Medical Officer of Health Dr Mansoor confirmed there were no cases of Covid-19 in Tairawhiti.

“Dr Ashley Bloomfield is the ‘source truth' for all new cases of Covid-19 in New Zealand.

“If anyone in Tairawhiti is identified as a contact of Covid-19 while out of the district, our contact tracing teams are trained and ready to go.

“Our team would be in touch with people identified, their movements tracked and they would be asked to self-isolate until their test results come back.”

A police spokesperson said they were aware of some scams circulating, including some looking to capitalise on the Covid-19 pandemic.

“We encourage the public to continue reporting these scams to us,” the spokesperson said.

• In a non-emergency, you can report online at or dial 105.

• Further information about crime reporting and safety advice can be found on the police .