READ MORE: Julie Bishop reportedly splits from partner of eight years In the messages obtained by 9Honey, the scammer, who had the daughter's first name and maiden name on WhatsApp, spent nearly two hours carefully extracting the Sydney grandmother's personal information. You can ask to have your credit record corrected if there’s any suspicious activity on it.Mary was scammed by a WhatsApp number pretending to be her daughter. There are three main credit check companies in NZ, and you’ll have to contact all of them. This will let you see if any accounts have been opened in your name.

change the passwords for any online accounts you think might be at risk.Let them know what’s happened and ask what they can do to help. contact the service provider for your online accounts - like your bank or your email provider.If you gave out some personal or financial details: Here’s what to do if you’ve been targeted by a scam or fraud online, according to CERT NZ. Online scams should be reported to the Government online security agency, CERT NZ.

If possible, ask them a personal question too, like their date of birth, name of a sibling, pet name or maiden name.Īnyone who believes they are a victim of a scam should immediately report it to their bank and then to their local police.

If you suspect someone might be impersonating a loved one, ask if you can call them back, police said. 'Police's message on scams like this is simple - do not engage with anyone on the phone and if you think you are being scammed, report the incident immediately.' 'We urge people to have conversations with vulnerable or elderly family members, to help ensure they are aware of the tactics often used by scammers and don't become victims,' police said. Police said while these types of scams are virtually ever-present, some people are more vulnerable than others. 'The scammer then attempts to obtain the victim's credit card information.'

Whatsapp scams photos