Gone are the days of easy to spot scams from a long lost uncle with millions to share. With over $200 million lost by Kiwis to scammers in the last year, it’s clear to see that online scams are a serious issue for many New Zealanders and they continue to get more sophisticated. 62% of New Zealanders encounter scams daily, weekly or monthly.
This means many of us believe we can spot scams because we see them so often. That may be true for simple common scams but for new and sophisticated versions, it’s not so easy.
The adoption of AI by scam syndicates means that spelling mistakes and grammatical errors are far less common and custom scam messages are more convincing than ever. So what can be done to keep yourself safe?
Antivirus, strong passwords and 2-factor authentication, along with regular updates and backups are all important. However, many of these are fail safes designed to limit the risks if you click on a suspicious link within a scam message. But what if the scam message leads you to a page that looks exactly like your online banking portal, and you unknowingly give the scammers your login details?
Unfortunately, 85% of scam victims never recover all of their lost funds. That’s why we created GeekSafe, a product designed to help stop Kiwis from falling victim to scam messages. We do this by having a team of experts who you can forward suspicious messages to. They will assess the messages and let you know if we believe it to be malicious content. We’ll also send you a detailed list of all the warning signs we spotted, to help you with future scam spotting.
Another way to make sure you don’t fall for scams is to ensure you stay up to date with what to look out for. Thankfully GeekSafe members also receive scam warnings and alerts for new and emerging scams, along with a monthly newsletter which gives helpful tips for identifying potential scam messages.
Every Kiwi deserves the right to use the internet with confidence and without fear. By keeping yourself informed and up to date, you’ll be more equipped to do so! To learn more about GeekSafe or to sign up, head to our website or give the friendly team a call.
