Paul Goldsmith – 
I encourage all New Zealanders to remain vigilant with their personal information, as a part of our ‘Fraud Awareness Week,’ being held from November 13 to 29, 2016.
Each year, thousands of New Zealanders are contacted by scammers via phone, post or email. For scammers, it is a numbers game – the more people they contact, the better their chance of making a profit.
Scammers often use the names of well-known people or organisations to gain a persons’ trust.
Warning Signs
We have several New Zealand agencies working together to stop scams at the source, which is often overseas. But the best way for consumers to protect themselves is to know the warning signs.
Be wary of phone calls or letters that come out of the blue, or unsolicited emails that ask you to enter personal information such as your pin number or IRD information.
This year’s theme is “It won’t happen to me.”
The Awareness Campaign in New Zealand is coordinated by the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment’s Consumer Protection team.
Paul Goldsmith is Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs.
