quora
Read More about fast-id page

Shufti globally launches webinr-icon - a new kind of identity solution!

Shufti globally launches - a new kind of identity solution!

Read more

New Zealand Encounters Spike in Online Identity Theft

2021-11-17 news 1

Recent research of New Zealand’s financial market has shown a spike of 86 percent in identity fraud over the last year, including an increase of 37 percent in crimes like investment fraud.

Netsafe recently released data that sheds light on the rise of identity fraud cases in New Zealand, indicating a sharp increase of 86 percent in the past year. The major reason is the availability of information online as a result of New Zealanders’ lives increasingly moving to digital platforms.

Fraudsters have ramped up their social engineering tactics, and use them to impersonate people and pretend to be certain organizations to fool users into disclosing their personally identifiable information. Other tricks also involve clickable links to perform certain actions that result in personal or financial damage to the user.

According to Scoop New Zealand, a subsequent rise of 37 percent in investment fraud was also seen during the last year. In this Fraud Awareness Week, people are being encouraged to take measures to protect their personal information online. Moreover, people are also being advised to report instances of identity fraud instead of staying silent when they are targeted by scammers.

The New Zealand Police says that a lot of personal information is already shared online, which makes the citizens easy targets for scammers. “Kiwis are trusting people, and that can make this country appear to be a soft target to overseas scammers,” says Detective Senior Sergeant Greg Dalziel, NZ Police Cybercrime Unit.

“It is important that people think about how much personal information they share online and who they are sharing it with. If you control the amount of information you release, you can reduce the chance of someone stealing your identity.”

With the holiday season approaching, the significance of this awareness is further augmented. As people will be shopping online, their bank account information will be vulnerable to fraud.

According to the CEO of Netsafe, Martin Cocker, “scammers are criminals who work around the clock to invent webpages, adverts, and emails with the same objective in mind, and that is to rip people off and potentially steal their private details.” 

“People contacting you out of the blue asking to verify account details, or telling you that there is a problem with your phone or internet services are possible signs of potential fraud. When in doubt about the identity of someone saying they are from a particular business and asking for your information, it’s a good idea to hang up and call the business back directly,” added Mr. Cocker.

Suggested read: Identity Theft Pushed to New Records with Buy-Now-Pay-Later Boom in Australia

Related Posts

News

The Next Big Step- Blockchain-Based E-voting

A Japanese firm, Layer X labs, has decided to work on the development of voting electronically by...

The Next Big Step- Blockchain-Based E-voting Explore More

News

FIU in Sri Lanka Penalises Financial Firms over AML/CFT Non-Compliance

Sri Lanka’s Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) has recently penalised two financial institutions i...

FIU in Sri Lanka Penalises Financial Firms over AML/CFT Non-Compliance Explore More

News

Online Gambling Operator Penalized Over Failure to Meet Anti-Money Laundering Regulations

Boylesports, an online gambling operation is facing £ 2.8 million in fines for violating the regu...

Online Gambling Operator Penalized Over Failure to Meet Anti-Money Laundering Regulations Explore More

News

Canada Financial Crimes Agency Questioned on Effectiveness of Anti-Fraud Measures

Anti-fraud experts are reporting concerns regarding the Liberals’ newly announced Canada Financia...

Canada Financial Crimes Agency Questioned on Effectiveness of Anti-Fraud Measures Explore More

News

Shufti is nominated for ‘Oustanding Product/ Service’

Global business excellence awards nominated Shufti for the category of outstanding product/ s...

Shufti is nominated for ‘Oustanding Product/ Service’ Explore More

News

NAB and CBA Exposed Over PNG Money Laundering Case

NAB and CBA have been given a “formal warning” instead of criminal charges, as the PNG regulator ...

NAB and CBA Exposed Over PNG Money Laundering Case Explore More

News

China’s Fight Against Rampant Telecom Scams – Cracked 5,94000 Cases in Just 15 Months

China has passed a law to prevent telecom and online scams, allowing enforcement agencies to foll...

China’s Fight Against Rampant Telecom Scams – Cracked 5,94000 Cases in Just 15 Months Explore More

News

Luxembourg Updates AML Laws for Verification of Beneficial Ownership

Luxembourg has amended its Anti-Money Laundering regulation requiring practitioners to identify b...

Luxembourg Updates AML Laws for Verification of Beneficial Ownership Explore More

News

UK Watchdog Fines Al Rayan Bank 4M Pounds Over AML Control Failures

FCA, Britain’s financial watchdog, revealed on Wednesday, 11th Jan 2023 that it had imposed...

UK Watchdog Fines Al Rayan Bank 4M Pounds Over AML Control Failures Explore More

News

MBSB Bank to Implement BNM’s Requirements for Combating Financial Crimes

Bank Negara Malaysia announced additional security measures for financial institutions to strengt...

MBSB Bank to Implement BNM’s Requirements for Combating Financial Crimes Explore More

News

Swedish Legislators Propose an Increase in Money Laundering Penalties for the Gambling Industry

Legislators in Sweden will consider increasing penalties for gambling operators who violate the n...

Swedish Legislators Propose an Increase in Money Laundering Penalties for the Gambling Industry Explore More

News

Swedbank Fined And Remains Under Investigation by US Authorities

As Danske Bank awaits judgment by US regulators for being involved in Europe’s largest-ever money...

Swedbank Fined And Remains Under Investigation by US Authorities Explore More

News

FATF Highlights the Increasing Risk of Trade-Based Money Laundering

FATF- Financial Action Task Force is warning businesses of the risk they face regarding trade-bas...

FATF Highlights the Increasing Risk of Trade-Based Money Laundering Explore More

News

UK Watchdog Fines Al Rayan Bank 4M Pounds Over AML Control Failures

FCA, Britain’s financial watchdog, revealed on Wednesday, 11th Jan 2023 that it had imposed...

UK Watchdog Fines Al Rayan Bank 4M Pounds Over AML Control Failures Explore More

News

South Africa Must Fix Holes in Money Laundering Regulation by 2025, Warns FATF

South Africa needs to improve its Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorist Financing regulatio...

South Africa Must Fix Holes in Money Laundering Regulation by 2025, Warns FATF Explore More

News

FinCEN Highlights That AML/CFT Regulation Requires Transformation to Fight Modern Crimes

The acting director of FinCEN has highlighted the fact that the existing AML/CFT regulatory frame...

FinCEN Highlights That AML/CFT Regulation Requires Transformation to Fight Modern Crimes Explore More

News

The Ringleader of a Crypto-Ponzi Scheme Arrested After a Flee Attempt

Mathew Piercey, a Ponzi scheme leader who defrauded $35 million for crypto mining and other inves...

The Ringleader of a Crypto-Ponzi Scheme Arrested After a Flee Attempt Explore More

News

11 Jailed in Saudi Arabia for Laundering $2.7 Billion

Saudi Arabia has jailed and fined 11 individuals SR62.5 million for money laundering. The group l...

11 Jailed in Saudi Arabia for Laundering $2.7 Billion Explore More

News

FinTech in Malaysia is Improving Due to Friendly Regulations

Malaysia has taken a user-friendly approach to adapt to financial regulations as it is working to...

FinTech in Malaysia is Improving Due to Friendly Regulations Explore More

News

UAE Issues Guidance to Registered Unlicensed Crypto Firms

UAE’s regulatory authorities stated all unlicensed Virtual Service Providers (VASPs) companies wi...

UAE Issues Guidance to Registered Unlicensed Crypto Firms Explore More

News

Internet infrastructure industry plans on ensuring internet trust amidst COVID-19 outbreak

As a global crisis emerges due to the Coronavirus outbreak, and global population practices socia...

Internet infrastructure industry plans on ensuring internet trust amidst COVID-19 outbreak Explore More

News

European Commission Removes Morocco From High-Risk Money Laundering Watchlist

On Wednesday, the European Commission disclosed that Morocco was no longer listed on its high-ris...

European Commission Removes Morocco From High-Risk Money Laundering Watchlist Explore More

News

Turkey to Ban Cryptocurrency Payments to Avoid Financial Crime

The Central Bank of Turkey is to ban the use of cryptocurrency payments by 30th April. This initi...

Turkey to Ban Cryptocurrency Payments to Avoid Financial Crime Explore More

News

T-Mobile Suffers its Second Security Breach within Six Months

T-mobile US suffered its second data breach between late February and early March, affecting 836 ...

T-Mobile Suffers its Second Security Breach within Six Months Explore More

News

US Treasury Targets Russian Oligarchs as Part of New to Tackle Illicit Finance

Strategy imposed by the US Treasury to combat illicit finance targets Russian Obligarch as part o...

US Treasury Targets Russian Oligarchs as Part of New to Tackle Illicit Finance Explore More

News

Danish Gaming Regulator Sanctions Unibet Over AML Violations

Spillemyndigheden, the Danish Gaming Regulatory Authority has sanctioned Unibet for failing to co...

Danish Gaming Regulator Sanctions Unibet Over AML Violations Explore More

News

Money Laundering & VAT Fraud Acquisition Against Lycamobile

A trial for money laundering and value-added tax (VAT) fraud between 2014 and 2016 started on Jun...

Money Laundering & VAT Fraud Acquisition Against Lycamobile Explore More

News

SEC Chair Gary Gensler Turns to Congress to Address Crypto Wild West

SEC Chairman stresses the need for proper checks on crypto exchange platforms, given the volatili...

SEC Chair Gary Gensler Turns to Congress to Address Crypto Wild West Explore More

News

European Commission Warns of Trade Laws Violation as EU Bans Tax-Haven Crypto Firms

The European Commission has issued a new warning on breaching global trade laws as the EU bans ta...

European Commission Warns of Trade Laws Violation as EU Bans Tax-Haven Crypto Firms Explore More

News

FinCEN May Release a YouTube Video to Outreach Latest BOI Rules

The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) director stated they are creating awareness cam...

FinCEN May Release a YouTube Video to Outreach Latest BOI Rules Explore More

News

Kenya Takes First Step to Regulate Virtual Asset Market

The Kenyan government is all set to take the first step to regulate a vast $20 Billion crypto mar...

Kenya Takes First Step to Regulate Virtual Asset Market Explore More

News

EU Parliament Proposes Change in AML Bill to Increase Focus on NFTs

Lawmakers in the EU Parliament have proposed new changes for the upcoming AML bill to increase fo...

EU Parliament Proposes Change in AML Bill to Increase Focus on NFTs Explore More

News

Singapore’s Public Warned Against the Highly Volatile Crypto World

Singapore’s financial regulators once again warn their public about the risks of the cryptocurren...

Singapore’s Public Warned Against the Highly Volatile Crypto World Explore More

News

Gary Gensler- Former CFTC Chair to Join President-Elect Biden’s team as Financial Expert.

A crypto-savvy and a CFTC (Commodity Futures Trading Commission) chair from President Obama’s gov...

Gary Gensler- Former CFTC Chair to Join President-Elect Biden’s team as Financial Expert. Explore More

News

FMA Blacklists Krypto Security, Bay Exchange, and CTRL Investments Limited

New Zealand’s FMA has warned investors against services and products being offered by unauthorize...

FMA Blacklists Krypto Security, Bay Exchange, and CTRL Investments Limited Explore More

News

Global AML Watchdog FATF Puts UAE on the Grey List

The Paris-based Financial Action Task Force placed the UAE on the grey list for “strategic defici...

Global AML Watchdog FATF Puts UAE on the Grey List Explore More

News

Artist Sues AI Generators for Alleged Industrial-Level Identity Theft

Artist, Karla Ortiz, has sued two artificial intelligence firms for generating images that mimic ...

Artist Sues AI Generators for Alleged Industrial-Level Identity Theft Explore More

News

Chinese Authorities Bust 93 for Crypto Money Laundering Worth RMB 40 Billion

Chinese Authorities in the Hunan province have busted a criminal ring of 92 individuals for alleg...

Chinese Authorities Bust 93 for Crypto Money Laundering Worth RMB 40 Billion Explore More

News

HM Treasury Consults UK Government on AML Supervision Reforms

HM Treasury announced that a consultation would be conducted concerning AML/CFT supervision refor...

HM Treasury Consults UK Government on AML Supervision Reforms Explore More

News

Nexo to Sue Bulgarian State over Money Laundering Allegations

The Bulgarian crypto lending bank, Nexo, revealed that it would file legal action against the Bul...

Nexo to Sue Bulgarian State over Money Laundering Allegations Explore More

News

Two Bank Workers Banned by Central Bank in the Philippines for Wirecard Fraud

Two bank workers, involved in issuing fake documents, have been banned by the Central Bank. The a...

Two Bank Workers Banned by Central Bank in the Philippines for Wirecard Fraud Explore More

News

South Africa Issues Stricter Guidelines for Crypto Traders

To prevent the surging cases of financial crime, South Africa has introduced rigid regulations fo...

South Africa Issues Stricter Guidelines for Crypto Traders Explore More

News

Few Hours Left! Was Mail-in-Ballots Successful?

The US elections 2020 have been exhilarating yet stressful for all the residents. The coronavirus...

Few Hours Left! Was Mail-in-Ballots Successful? Explore More

News

Low-orbit internet banking fraud claim supposed to be a bunch of space junk

A case of supposed low-orbit digital banking fraud has taken a turn, with the US Attorney’s...

Low-orbit internet banking fraud claim supposed to be a bunch of space junk Explore More

News

Cyberhack Discloses Data on Over 600,000 Medicare Beneficiaries

A data breach in May 2023 exposed the personal information of 612,000 Medicare beneficiaries, inc...

Cyberhack Discloses Data on Over 600,000 Medicare Beneficiaries Explore More

News

Australian Housing is the “Destination of Choice” for Money Laundering – Says Serena Lilywhite

Weak, outdated money laundering and terrorist financing laws are creating havoc in the real estat...

Australian Housing is the “Destination of Choice” for Money Laundering – Says Serena Lilywhite Explore More

News

Morocco’s Parliament Unanimously Approves the Bill to Amend AML Regulations

The House of Representatives of Morocco has unanimously agreed to pass the bill to amend the anti...

Morocco’s Parliament Unanimously Approves the Bill to Amend AML Regulations Explore More

News

EU Warns About the Impact of COVID-19 on Non-Regulated Crypto Investments

European Union’s financial regulatory agency, the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA...

EU Warns About the Impact of COVID-19 on Non-Regulated Crypto Investments Explore More

News

One-third of Finance Firms Have Accelerated Use of AI to Detect Money Laundering

Financial institutions are heavily investing in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning...

One-third of Finance Firms Have Accelerated Use of AI to Detect Money Laundering Explore More

News

FATF Urges Member Countries To Lead by Example in Implementing Travel Rule

The global financial watchdog FATF has urged countries to implement the travel rule in the legisl...

FATF Urges Member Countries To Lead by Example in Implementing Travel Rule Explore More

News

CBA Fails to Disclose AML Non-Compliance to Investors, A Court Hears

A court has heard that the CBA should have informed the market that it may have engaged in “law-b...

CBA Fails to Disclose AML Non-Compliance to Investors, A Court Hears Explore More

News

FinCEN to Expand GTOs on All-cash Real Estate Purchases to Stop Money Laundering

The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) has announced the expansion of its GTOs. The ne...

FinCEN to Expand GTOs on All-cash Real Estate Purchases to Stop Money Laundering Explore More

News

Lake County Attorney Launches a Financial Crimes Unit to Combat Fraud

Lake County state’s attorney announced a new Financial Crimes Unit to deal with money laundering,...

Lake County Attorney Launches a Financial Crimes Unit to Combat Fraud Explore More

News

Garmin Online Services Reportedly Hit With Ransomware Attack in demand for $10 Million

Ransomware attacks are on the rise, and Garmin is the latest big name to take a hit. A hacker gro...

Garmin Online Services Reportedly Hit With Ransomware Attack in demand for $10 Million Explore More

News

Taiwan and Singapore Strengthen AML Regulations for Virtual Asset Providers and Banks

Taiwan and Singapore enhance Anti-Money Laundering (AML) regulations for virtual asset service pr...

Taiwan and Singapore Strengthen AML Regulations for Virtual Asset Providers and Banks Explore More

News

SA Banks at High Risk of Money Laundering & Terrorist Financing, Says Prudential Authority Report

South African banks have moved up into the high-risk category in the new report from the Prudenti...

SA Banks at High Risk of Money Laundering & Terrorist Financing, Says Prudential Authority Report Explore More

News

FSA Japan Considers Imposing Stricter Regulation on Cryptocurrency

The updated regulation will be designed to provide better protection to Japanese investors. Accor...

FSA Japan Considers Imposing Stricter Regulation on Cryptocurrency Explore More

News

Zipmex Crypto Trading Platform Suspends All Activities in Thailand

Zipmex cryptocurrency exchange firm withdrew all activities in Thailand until 31st January 2024 t...

Zipmex Crypto Trading Platform Suspends All Activities in Thailand Explore More

News

Pandora Papers Highlight ‘Gatekeepers’ of Black Money, says EU Financial Watchdog

The new report of MONEYVAL offers a diminishing rebuke across European governments that are unabl...

Pandora Papers Highlight ‘Gatekeepers’ of Black Money, says EU Financial Watchdog Explore More

News

Scottish Firm Blacklisted by the World Bank for Fraudulent Practices

An anonymously owned Scottish firm has been blacklisted by the World Bank for being involved in f...

Scottish Firm Blacklisted by the World Bank for Fraudulent Practices Explore More

News

U.S States Open up to the Idea of Digital IDs in Post Pandemic World

The ID cards that were used by millions of people as proof of their identity may soon become a th...

U.S States Open up to the Idea of Digital IDs in Post Pandemic World Explore More

News

Westpac CEO Brian Hertzer Resigns Amid Money-Laundering Scandal

The chief executive of Westpac Banking Corporation, Brian Hartzer, has resigned and the chairman ...

Westpac CEO Brian Hertzer Resigns Amid Money-Laundering Scandal Explore More

News

Foxconn Becomes the Victim of Ransomware Attack

A ransomware attack has impacted an electronic manufacturer, Foxconn, very badly. This attack was...

Foxconn Becomes the Victim of Ransomware Attack Explore More

News

FIAU Imposed a Fine of €130,000 on Olimp Limited for AML Failures

Olimp Limited has dropped its gaming license since FIAU imposed €130,000 fine on the company for ...

FIAU Imposed a Fine of €130,000 on Olimp Limited for AML Failures Explore More

News

Investment platforms on target of Criminals to Launder Stolen COVID Relief funds

Sophisticated fraudsters with expert knowledge in tech are stealing the COVID-19 relief funds fro...

Investment platforms on target of Criminals to Launder Stolen COVID Relief funds Explore More

News

Another Step Taken by the EU to Harmonize AML Rules

The European Banking Authority has proposed new guidance for compliance officers. The attempt is ...

Another Step Taken by the EU to Harmonize AML Rules Explore More

News

AFP to Crack Down on Italian Money Laundering Syndicates Operating in Australia

The AFP is set to crack down on Italian organised crime and money laundering syndicates flowing b...

AFP to Crack Down on Italian Money Laundering Syndicates Operating in Australia Explore More

News

COJ Organizes Anti-Money Laundering Unit to Meet FATF Standards

The Companies Office of Jamaica (COJ) has established an AML and CFT unit to comply with FATF req...

COJ Organizes Anti-Money Laundering Unit to Meet FATF Standards Explore More

News

Canada’s Real Estate a Safe Haven for Money Laundering, Confirms Intel

Intel has confirmed the findings of CISC’s report saying that Canadian real estate is a safe have...

Canada’s Real Estate a Safe Haven for Money Laundering, Confirms Intel Explore More

News

Bank of Ghana to Introduce Digital Currency in ‘Near Future’

The Governor of the West African nation’s central bank, Ernest Addison, announced the news of Gha...

Bank of Ghana to Introduce Digital Currency in ‘Near Future’ Explore More

News

Homeland Security expects to have biometric data on nearly 260 million people

The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will soon have face, fingerprint and iris scans of a...

Homeland Security expects to have biometric data on nearly 260 million people Explore More

News

Brazilian Police Block Crypto Assets Due to Suspected Fraud

Brazilian police have requested the court to block the virtual assets of suspected digital tradin...

Brazilian Police Block Crypto Assets Due to Suspected Fraud Explore More

Take the next steps to better security.

Contact us

Get in touch with our experts. We'll help you find the perfect solution for your compliance and security needs.

Contact us

Request demo

Get free access to our platform and try our products today.

Get started