This article provides information about common scams and what to do if you have received a suspicious call from someone and how to protect yourself if you have been a victim.

What to do if you've been scammed?

As soon as you realize you have been the victim of a scam, you should act quickly to protect yourself. If you act early enough, you may be able to prevent or reduce the impact of the scam. Information on what to do if you've been scammed is available on the Ministry of Consumer Affairs website's I've been scammed, what do I do? section.

How to report a scam?

If you have recently experienced a potential scam or hoax, you can fill out the Report a Scam Form on the Ministry of Consumer Affairs website at http://www.scamwatch.govt.nz .

What are common scams?

Some excellent information on past and current scams is available on the Ministry of Consumer affairs website at http://www.scamwatch.govt.nz .

Computer Virus Scam

Someone will contact you by phone, possibly addressing you by surname (obtained from directories), and claim they can detect your home computer has viruses or trojans.

They will ask you to perform tasks on your computer to allegedly remove the viruses, but this actually allows them to access your computer and personal information.

If you believe you have been a victim, refer to http://www.scamwatch.govt.nz

Dial '90#' or '09#' Scam

Someone pretending to be from a major phone company will contact you and advise there is a fault with your phone line.

They will ask you to dial '90#' or '09#' to allegedly conduct tests or fix the issue.

For residential customers, this code does nothing harmful.

However, for PABX systems it can allow the caller to make long distance calls charged to the victim. Call 888 for more information.

The perfect deal

We all love a good deal. Which is why it's hard to resist a great one that magically appears in our inbox. Scammers are counting on this behaviour when they send out these kinds of emails.

In such emails, the scammer offers a life-changing product or service for very little money. They may also offer you a way to get rich from the comfort of your living room - promising 7-figure profits for a small one-time investment.

Both these kinds of deals are completely fake. Remember if it sounds too good to be true, especially on the internet, it definitely is!

The official notice

This kind of email scam is harder to pull off but tends to work more often. In such emails, the scammer formats his email to look like an official piece of communication from your bank or even your internet service provider (ISP).

These emails claim they need to 'confirm' your credit card details and ask you to enter your card details into an online form. The most recent widespread 'official communication' scam here in New Zealand was an email claiming to be from Westpac. Since we are used to receiving emails from these sources, it lowers our guard and prompts us to respond.

However, there is one simple rule which will allow you to identify and avoid such scams - banks and service providers never ask for your financial information over email. If the email makes such a request, it usually means it's a scam.

The international government request

This kind of scam involves the scammer pretending to be a representative of a foreign government. They claim to have a large sum of money and need only a small online transfer from your account so that they can then transfer millions over to you.

People who fall for this scam end up paying not just once but several times before the spammer just leaves after they have collected enough money from his victim.

Remember, no one hands out money for free! Especially someone who works for a government in a foreign country. If you hear of such a deal, it's always a lie.

To stay safe from such scams, here's what we suggest:

• Never give out your personal details: This includes your credit card details, your phone number, your account password or even just your name. Any of these bits of information could be used by a scammer to search for more information about you and your family and exploit it.
• Check the email for inconsistent language: This includes spelling and grammar mistakes, forceful language ( "you must", "do it right now", "you have to") and threatening language ("do it or else", "if you don't do this...")

• Look for vague or generic language: A legitimate email will always establish the sender's credibility by putting your full name in the email, mentioning any account number you may have with them and will always have an email signature you can follow up on or confirm with the source.

  A fake email is likely to address you as just "dear customer" and doesn't state your account number. Be safe and report it as spam immediately to your IT department or your email service provider.

If you would like to read a few examples of known scam emails that have been identified, visit scambusters.org .

You Should Know

Scams commonly attempt to obtain your personal information, credit card or bank account details through deception. Be very cautious of any unsolicited calls asking you to share personal data or perform tasks on your computer/devices.