Editorial: Sly con artists beneath contempt

Scammers really are a scourge on our society.

They have no morals, no sense of decency or community, targeting the likes of the elderly and organisations like Rotorua's Manaakitanga Aotearoa Trust which was duped into making an advertising payment to a magazine that basically doesn't exist.

It is an absolute disgrace that these criminals are able to get away with it and the best we can hope for is that the Commerce Commission, which is investigating the magazine scam will throw the book at them. They must be held to account.

The Rotorua trust, which is helping our community, providing children with opportunities they might otherwise not get, is among several local organisations to fall victim to the Kids Safety Review magazine scam.

The scammers use pro-forma invoicing; the illegal practice of billing companies for a service they didn't order and basically harassing them if they don't pay up.

Of course, the internet has made scamming a lot easier, providing millions of potential victims to these despicable people and there will always be those who take something at face value and end up being conned.

While the onus is on us all to be super-vigilant to try to ensure we don't get duped, things can fall through the cracks for people with busy lives and busy jobs. It's just a shame there are among us people who have no qualms about using deception to rip off anyone they can.

Scammers are scum. Shame on all the scammers of the world. They ought to be rounded up and publicly shamed.

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

email editor@dailypost.co.nz, text DP then your message to 021 241 4568, or write to editor, PO Box 1442, Rotorua.