Wellington based Federation of Islamic Associations of New Zealand (FIANZ) has warned members of the Muslim community to be cautious of people seeking donations in the name of Islamic Centres, besides social and community causes.
In a communique, the organisation said that some people claimed to be holding high office seek funds, saying that they have been victims of theft overseas and that they were in disparate situation.
Indian Newslink understands from some readers that their web-based email accounts have been hacked by fraudsters, with outgoing messages indicating that they are overseas and that they had become victims of mugging and that they had no money to return home.
“The best way to check the veracity of such claims is to call the victim, who in most cases would be in New Zealand, unaware of the scam,” they said.
The FIANZ communique said that there were always fraudsters at work.
“There have also been instances where individuals have been approached for finance for investment or assistance. They promise to repay it but this is a scam. We would like to urge everyone to be very careful when approached by anyone asking for money, whether in person, over the phone, or email, and whether as a gift, a loan, or as an investment,” it said.
Safety Precautions
FIANZ also asked the members of the Muslim community to exercise common-sense precautions for their safety and security in public.
“There has been a case recently in which two Muslim pedestrians were assaulted on a footpath close to the Masjid in Wellington. The Police are investigating.
This is not the first time that people in attire that readily identifies them as Muslims have been physically attacked. Anyone experiencing such assaults should report to the Police,” the organisation said.
