1 September 2026
Netsafe is warning New Zealanders
to be particularly wary of scammers pretending to be from
their bank, after reports of bank impersonation scams
reached their highest level this year.
New data from
Netsafe shows a sharp increase in the proportion of scam
reports involving scammers pretending to represent a bank or
financial institution.
Of the August scam reports
where people told Netsafe the scammer was pretending to be
someone else, 34% involved a bank or financial
institution.
That compares with just 20% of these
reports between April and July, making August the highest
monthly total recorded by Netsafe this year. Reports of
scammers impersonating banks rose from 21 in July to 46 in
August.
At the same time, reports involving scammers
pretending to be a government agency fell sharply, from an
average of 37 reports a month between April and July to just
11 in August.
Netsafe Chief Online Safety Officer Sean
Lyons says the figures suggest scammers may be changing the
disguise they use, rather than changing the underlying
tactics.
“The standout trend for August is scammers
pretending to be banks. We’ve seen the number of these
reports reach its highest level this year, while reports of
scammers pretending to be government agencies have dropped
significantly.”
“That may indicate a change in
disguise rather than a change in tactics. Scammers know that
people are more likely to engage when they believe they are
dealing with an organisation they know and trust – and
their bank is an obvious choice.”
Stop. Hang up.
Check.
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Netsafe is urging anyone who receives an
unexpected call, text or email claiming to be from their
bank to avoid responding directly.
Instead, people
should hang up or delete the message and contact their bank
themselves, using the phone number on their bank card or the
bank’s official website.
“If someone contacts you
claiming to be from your bank, don’t feel pressured to
continue the conversation just because they know some of
your details or sound convincing,” says
Lyons.
“Hang up, delete the message and contact your
bank yourself using a trusted number. A genuine bank will
never mind you taking that extra step to make sure you’re
speaking to them.”
No other scam type showing a
meaningful increase
Beyond the increase in bank
impersonation reports, Netsafe says there were no other
significant increases across scam types reported during
August.
Netsafe cautions that the figures represent
reports made to Netsafe, not a count of all scams occurring
in New Zealand. Reporting rates can also change in response
to publicity and public awareness campaigns, so
month-to-month movements should be treated as
indicative.
“Scammers constantly adapt their
approach. The best defence is to slow down, question
unexpected contact and verify it independently before taking
any action,” says Lyons.
“If a message or phone
call is supposedly from your bank, you don’t need to prove
anything to the person contacting you. End the conversation
and make the call yourself.”
What to do if you’re
contacted by someone claiming to be your
bank
STOP: Don’t provide
passwords, PINs, verification codes or other sensitive
information.
HANG UP: If it’s an
unexpected phone call, end the
call.
DELETE: Don’t click links in
unexpected texts or emails.
CHECK:
Contact your bank using the number on your card or through
its official website.
REPORT: If you
think you have been targeted by a scam, report it to the
relevant organisation and Netsafe.
About
Netsafe
Netsafe is an independent charitable
organisation supporting people in Aotearoa to have safe and
positive online experiences. We keep people of all ages safe
online by providing free support, advice, and
education.
Support available
Netsafe provides
free, confidential support to anyone experiencing online
harm, including unwanted digital contact, harassment and
bullying.
Contact Netsafe:
Online report:
https://netsafe.org.nz/report/
Email:
help@netsafe.org.nz
Text: 4282
Free phone: 0508
NETSAFE (0508 638 723) Available 9 am–5 pm
weekdays