Scam warning for business owners/payroll operators

Southern District Police are warning business owners and payroll operators to be wary, after several reports of scammers attempting to fraudulently gain access to employees’ bank accounts. 
 
The scammers, who are usually operating from an overseas IP address, create a false email address in the name of an employee, and then email that employee’s employer/payroll department requesting a change of bank account - and, to make it more realistic, this is very often another New Zealand bank account and part of another scam.   
 
If successful, the scammer then gets paid the employee’s salary. 
 
To protect yourself and your employees from this type of scam, ensure that you verify by phone or in person any request to change an employee’s bank account details. 
 
Southern District Police have also seen recent instances of another scam where the scammers intercept customer invoices sent by businesses via email. The scammers create a false business email account - very similar to the genuine one - then advise the customer that bank account details for payment have changed, thereby pocketing the customer’s payment. 
 
To protect yourself from this type of scam, ask your customers to check with you first by phone or in person if they ever receive an invoice with a new payment bank account number. 
 
If a customer has made payment to a fraudulent bank account, advise them to contact their bank immediately and report it, making sure the matter is escalated to the bank’s fraud team. 
 
For more information on how to recognise, avoid and take action against scams, have a look at Consumer Protection’s Consumer Protection's Scamwatch webpages . 
 
ENDS
 
Issued by Police Media Centre.