Watch out for scams in Tararua

Tararua District Mayor Tracey Collis had picked up an email she initially thought was from a council staff member, only to realise it was a scam.

The Tararua district mayor is sounding the alert after she received an email from someone supposedly inside council asking her to buy iTunes gift cards.

Mayor Tracey Collis' message is simple: "If you have any inkling in your gut that something is off, listen to it," she said.

Collis had been busy working at the time when she saw the email.

She said at first there hadn't seemed to be anything untoward that would have set off alarm bells, but realised when she was asked to purchase the cards that something was seriously wrong.

Councillors had also received the same email.

The scam was one that had been around for a while where the victim was asked to purchase iTunes vouchers or cards and send back the numbers.

Collis said the minute the card was scratched to reveal the numbers, the purchaser was unable to get a refund.

She had talked to staff at The Warehouse, which stocks the cards, who had been "absolutely fantastic".

Collis said there had been previous attempts where councillors had been contacted by someone supposedly known to them, only for there to be differences in vocabulary.

For example, she always opens her emails to her contacts a certain way, so if the email didn't have that it would be an instant red flag.

She said people were often embarrassed to be taken in by such scams, and that was something the scammers preyed on.

It was important for people to educate themselves and even if they were caught in a scam, warn others about it.

"There's no embarrassment in it."

A Warehouse spokesperson said the team was aware of the scam.

"We make every effort to provide relevant information and assist customers who believe they may be victims of the scam.

"This includes encouraging them to seek advice and help from local police. We also encourage customers to be vigilant and not to provide personal and banking information to anyone not known to them."

Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment consumer protection national manager Mark Hollingsworth said they were aware of scammers' frequent use of names and visual identities of topical events, trusted brands or government departments to deceive people into dropping their guard on protecting their personal information, making immediate and unusual payment requests, or simply making a purchase of a product or service that seems to offer a "good deal".

"Scammers may seek to press you to make an immediate payment or a payment through in unusual way, such as vouchers like iTunes. So having some awareness of the general features of a scam can help to protect you and your loved ones."

Their advice was that if someone contacted you out of the blue, or if you were targeted by an advertisment, to always consider the possibility that it might be a scam.

More information on staying safe from scams can be found on the Consumer Protection website: www.consumerprotection.govt.nz/general-help/scamwatch/identify-a-scam/.