KEY POINTS:
A battle against scammers has been launched by the Commerce Commission and Consumer Affairs Ministry.
Fraud Awareness Week is an initiative to create awareness about scammers, who are using technology to constantly try to deceive consumers.
"Scammers use every trick in the book to get you to part with your money and personal details," said commission acting general manager Deborah Battell.
She said seduction scams involved great offers including money, prizes or true love, which were never delivered.
Ms Battell said the general rule in dealing with tempting offers was: "If they look too good to be true, they are", and not responding was generally the best defence.
Each year, scammers target thousands of New Zealanders. Most scams originate outside the country and the fraudsters make contact using email spam, text, phone or letters.
They can work because scammers pretend to be from legitimate banks or businesses, asking for personal information so they can steal money and identities.
Ms Battell said once consumers were duped into sending money overseas it was virtually impossible to recover it for them.
"This is why education and prevention strategies are currently the most effective way to deal with scams," she said.
Fraud Awareness Week initiatives are part of a worldwide effort to fight scammers by the International Consumer Protection and Enforcement Network.
The Consumer Affairs Ministry has an updated webpage - www.scamwatch.govt.nz - for consumers to refer to, and the Commerce Commission urges anyone who suspects they have identified a New Zealand-based scam or Fair Trading Act breach to contact its staff.
- NZPA
