Scam
nz police Safer Communities Together
"Arrest made in scam targeting elderly victims"
To be attributed to Detective Sergeant Colin Baillie:
Christchurch Police have this morning arrested a 22-year-old man in relation to a telephone scam that has been targeting elderly people across New Zealand.
The man will be appearing in Christchurch District Court this afternoon on five charges of causing loss by deception, as well as perverting the course of justice and breach of bail.
The charges follow a police investigation into the scam, whereby offenders make contact with elderly people over the phone, claiming to be from power companies and banks and threatening to disconnect their power if payment is not made immediately.
Enquiries into the scam are continuing, and Police still have a large number of people to speak to in relation to this offending.
We would like to hear from anyone who believes they may have been a victim of this scam and has not yet spoken to Police; and to anyone else who might have information pertinent to the investigation.
Please contact Christchurch Police on 03 363 7400.
Police would also like to reiterate that banks will never ask for account details over the phone.
If you receive a call from someone claiming to be from your bank and they ask for such details, hang up immediately.
Other advice for people who receive calls of this nature includes:
• Seek validation of who the caller actually is.
Always ask for a full name and the company or agency details.
• Validate the phone number of the caller and ask that they call you from a landline if they are using a mobile phone.
• Ignore calls from unknown mobile numbers.
• Don’t share your personal details until you are convinced the caller is legitimate.
• If you are threatened, simply hang up.
• Don’t trust anyone who calls you and asks for financial information such as your account details and password – again simply hang up, call them on their published contact 0800 number or arrange a meeting at the relevant agency branch.
ENDS
Issued by Police Media Centre.
Poll: Do you think NZ should ban social media for youth?
The Australian Prime Minister has expressed plans to ban social media use for children.
This would make it illegal for under 16-year-olds to have accounts on platforms including TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and X.
Social media platforms would be tasked with ensuring children have no access (under-age children and their parents wouldn’t be penalised for breaching the age limit)
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Do you think NZ should follow suit? Vote in our poll and share your thoughts below.
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85.5% Yes
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13.4% No
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1.1% Other - I'll share below
What's your favourite recipe for courgettes?
Kia ora neighbours. If you've got a family recipe for courgettes, we'd love to see it and maybe publish it in our magazine. Send your recipe to mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz, and if we use it in the mag, you will receive a free copy of our January 2025 issue.
Who would have thought walking could have been so dangerous!
Wow!
In 2022 there were 33 fatal crashes, 245 serious injury crashes, and 590 minor injury crashes where pedestrians were involved.
In these crashes, 34 people walking died, 240 people walking were seriously injured, and 595 people walking suffered minor injuries.
Most injuries occur in the young (5 - 29yrs), then 50+yrs, with the highest number of child pedestrians injured between 2pm and 4pm, followed by 4pm to 6pm and 8am to 10am.
Emergency Cards and Tags, ensure first responders have instant access to crucial medical details if any, and can notify loved ones much faster, providing peace of mind when every minute counts.
Protect someone you love and give yourself peace of mind that should an accident or medical event occur, you can be contacted without delay.
www.emergencycards.co.nz...
Data sourced from www.transport.govt.nz...
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