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If you realise you have transferred money to a scammer, or notice money has been taken out of your account, contact your bank as soon as you can. Your bank can try to reverse the payment. 

If you made a payment on a fraudulent website using a debit or a credit card, contact your bank or the company that issued you the credit card and ask about a possible ‘chargeback’ on the transaction. There are many rules and conditions around chargebacks and your bank will be best placed to advise if it can request one for you.

Go to your bank for more information:

• Report a scam, fraud, loss or theft with ANZ(external link)
• How to get online security help with ASB(external link)
• Recognising scams with BNZ(external link)
• How to deal with scams with Kiwibank(external link)
• Keeping safe from scams and banking fraud with TSB(external link)
• Report a scam or phishing email with Westpac NZ(external link)

Once you have contacted your bank, report the incident to CERT NZ and we can help you determine what happened and how you can prevent it from happening again. 

Reporting form for businesses and individuals | CERT NZ(external link)

Scammers often pose as legitimate organisations to get you to give away your credit card details. If you believe scammers have your credit card information, inform your bank or credit card issuer as soon as possible.

If someone has your name, card number and expiry date, it's possible they can charge items to your account. Ask your bank or credit card issuer to cancel your card immediately or block your credit card as an interim measure. Blocking your card can also be done online and via the mobile app even outside of the bank’s opening hours. 

Once you have contacted your bank, report the incident to CERT NZ and we can help you determine what happened and how you can prevent it from happening again.

Reporting form for businesses and individuals | CERT NZ(external link)

If someone has gained access to any of your online accounts, such as email, social media or banking, but hasn’t locked you out of them, change your password immediately. Once you have secured your account, set up two-factor authentication ( 2FA ) to protect it from future attacks. Depending on the account, you may also be able to go into settings and disconnect any devices that aren't yours.

Protect yourself from unauthorised access - Own Your Online

If you have lost access to your account and can no longer log in, you will have to work with the platform where your account was compromised. 

Most social media platforms have a section to help you recover your account. You can find some of the most common ones here.

• Hacked and fake accounts | Facebook Help Centre(external link)
• My Instagram was Hacked | Instagram Support(external link)
• Secure a hacked or compromised Google Account | Google Account Help(external link)
• My account has been hacked | TikTok Help Center(external link)
• My account is compromised | Snapchat Support(external link)

Once you have contacted the social media platform, report the incident to CERT NZ and we can help you determine how the compromised happened and how you can secure your accounts moving forward. 

Reporting form for businesses and individuals | CERT NZ(external link)

Scammers may ask to access your device using "remote access software". This is usually part of a phone scam where they claim to be from your bank or another trusted institution and ask you to let them log in to your device to fix a problem. Sometimes, this may require you to install software to give them that access.

Once they have access, the scammers will likely:

• try to access your bank account,
• look for any accounts you are logged into, and
• look for saved passwords.

If someone asks to access your device, do not allow it and end all communication with them. Real organisations will never do this out of the blue. 

Immediately disconnecting your device from the internet and restarting your device will stop any further remote access.

If you think someone may have accessed your device, contact your bank immediately to ensure your accounts are secure and then report the incident to CERT NZ. We can act against the phone number that called you and can provide advice to remove any software the scammers downloaded. 

Reporting form for businesses and individuals | CERT NZ(external link)

Protect yourself against malware - Own Your Online

Recognise scam calls - Own Your Online

'Phishing calls' are very common. These unsolicited calls could claim to be from any organisation, from banks to government to telcos. They usually ask for your sensitive information such as credit card details. 

If you get suspicious, hang up. If you're concerned that the call was real, contact the organisation via official channels, such as their public 0800 number. 

Follow the same advice if you have been left a voice message asking you to call back on a number. 

If you think you received a phishing or scam call, please report the number to us using our reporting form:

Reporting form for businesses and individuals | CERT NZ(external link)

If you receive a message you think is a scam or phishing – via email, social media, or text message –do not respond or click any links. Even if the message looks legitimate, most organisations will not ask you to click links to enter information. 

Notably, most New Zealand banks have agreed to not send out links in text message communications with customers.

If you think the message may be valid, contact the organisation via official channels, usually found on their website.

Also forward the message to CERT NZ via our website or emailing it to phishpond@ops.cert.govt.nz.

Reporting form for businesses and individuals | CERT NZ(external link)

If the message comes via social media or a messaging service, such as WhatsApp, you can use the in-app reporting feature. 

Suspicious text messages can be reported to the Department of Internal Affairs DIA. 

Report spam to DIA(external link)

If cyber criminals attack an organisation that has your personal information, that information may end up being leaked online.

Protect yourself against information leaks - Own Your Online

If you find out that an organisation that has your personal information has had a data breach, contact them to see if you are affected.

You can check if your details have been leaked online as part of a data breach at the website, Have I Been Pwned. This is a legitimate site that collects information from data breaches.

Have I Been Pwned: Check if your email has been compromised in a data breach(external link)

Immediately change your password for any account that’s been included in a data breach – and for any other accounts that use the same password.

Create good passwords - Own Your Online

Get a free credit check to identify if any accounts have been opened in your name without your permission.

Check your own credit record | New Zealand Government (www.govt.nz)(external link)

Report the incident to CERT NZ and we can help you determine what happened and how you can prevent it from happening again.

Reporting form for individuals | CERT NZ(external link)

Criminals can use stolen personal info to apply for various things, from credit cards to driver licences.

These are some steps to take if you think your identity has been stolen.

• If a personal document, such as your passport or driver's licence, has been used without your permission, report it immediately to the agency that issued it.
• Check your bank statements and dispute any transactions you didn’t make with your bank.
• Contact the service provider for online accounts and ask what they can do to help.
• Change your passwords for any online accounts that may be at risk.
• Get a free credit check to identify if any accounts have been opened in your name without your permission. 
• Report the incident to CERT NZ and we can help you determine what happened and how you can prevent it from happening again. 

  Reporting form for businesses and individuals(external link) | CERT NZ

Read more about how to:

Protect yourself from online identity theft - Own Your Online

Online bullying relates to any kind of bullying, harassment or abuse that’s carried out online, for example through social media, email or a website. You can report online bullying directly to Netsafe.

Report online bullying to Netsafe(external link)

The term 'objectionable material' usually relates to any publication that deals with subjects like sex, horror, crime, cruelty and violence. The Censorship Compliance Unit at the Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) takes complaints about this topic.

Report objectionable material to DIA(external link)

This is any kind of abuse that happens to a child on the internet. It can include grooming, sexual abuse, sexual exploitation, and emotional abuse. We recommend you report online child abuse directly to OCEANZ, a specialist team at New Zealand Police.

Report online child abuse to OCEANZ(external link)