Police have warned Kiwis about a new text scam that has been circulating around and claiming to be from the government.
With the recent 'cost-of-living' payment rollouts, scammers have found an opportunity to trick people.
The texts appear like they are from the government and ask people to "verify" in order "to receive the amount" by filling in their personal or financial details.
You should not click on any of the links, IRD or banks will never ask for your information in a text.
"Often scammers use timely and current events to try and deceive people in to being scammed. They will use a sense of urgency to get you to act without thinking and will include a link," police wrote on their Facebook post.
However, if you have given out personal or financial details after clicking on their links, this is what the police have advised.
- Contact your service provider immediately, such as your bank or IRD. Let them know what’s happened and ask what they can do to help.
- Change the passwords for any online accounts you think might be at risk and enable two-factor authentication to add an extra layer of security.
If you have received a text scam or a suspicious text, you can forward it to 7726 for free of charge.
If you have any concerns about any messages received from IRD regarding the "cost-of-living" payment, you can contact them directly on 0800 473 777 to verify it.
As a rule of thumb, if you do not know who sent you the text, do not click on the link or provide them with any information.
