Canterbury Police are warning that phone scammers are active in the region - and are urging people to be cautious about giving out personal details over the phone.
Police say there has been a steady stream of complaints over telephone scams - with the current crop including calls offering bogus refunds of tax or bank fees, and unsolicited offers to fix computer problems.
Inspector Doug Parker, District Intelligence Manager, says people should be wary of any callers who request personal information, computer passwords, bank account details or payments to overseas banks over the phone.
"Best advice - hang up," he says.
"We have had several reports recently where people have been rung by scammers claiming that the subject is owed several thousand dollars in tax or overpaid bank fees - the details vary from one scam to the next.
"The callers have often done their homework and have enough details of the victims to sound plausible.
"There is always a requirement that the victim has to pay a fee to obtain their refund, usually by money transfer to an overseas bank.
"In the cases we're aware of, the callers give Auckland phone numbers. We're not aware of anyone being successfully scammed locally, but in other parts of the country people have paid the fees, but never receive any refunds.
"People should be wary of any such calls. If someone's asking you to pay them a fee so you can get your own money back, you can be sure it's not genuine."
Inspector Parker says another scam currently doing the rounds is targeting computer users, with scammers often claiming to be from reputable computer companies.
"This scam involves a person claiming to be from Microsoft or a genuine computer repair company, who may have details about you or your computer.
"The scammer will claim that your computer has a virus, which the scammer offers to fix for you. Targets are directed to a website which may have been set up to gain access to bank details, or to infect the victim's computer with a virus.
"Some scammers may ask for password details, or request a fee to fix the computer, and setting up payments to overseas bank accounts."
Inspector Parker says Police do investigate scams in New Zealand but points out that there is little that can be done about scams originating overseas. The most effective protection, he says, is vigilance.
"The best advice is to hang up - and certainly never give callers any private or sensitive information over the phone."
Information about the Ministry of Consumer Affairs' Scamwatch website, and about email hoaxes and scams, can be accessed at: http://www.police.govt.nz/advice/email-and-internet-safety/internet-scam...
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Media contact: Stephen Hill, Canterbury Police District Communications Manager, 027 4363701