CAUTION is advised when dealing with phone calls from banks after a King Country resident fell victim to a scam.
POLICE are warning residents to be wary of phone calls claiming to be from the bank after a King Country resident was scammed out of more than $4000. On Friday she told police she received a phone call from an unknown number, claiming to be from the fraud department of a major banking company. The caller told her a number of suspicious transactions had been detected on her account and asked for identifying details for her bank account. The call was described as sounding very legitimate and used language you would expect when talking to a proper bank. The resident found several transactions had been made from her bank account without her permission, totalling $4306. She told police the contact phone number on a bank document had been changed to a different one, too. Ōtorohanga police sergeant Jimmie Walker said he strongly urged caution from anyone who receives a cold call from someone claiming to be from a bank. Anyone who is on the receiving end should obtain the caller’s details, hang up and find contact details for the bank on its website. Using that number, they should call directly and check if the first phone call was legitimate. Alternatively, they should visit their local branch in person to verify the call. Jimmie said not to provide any identifying details in the first instance.
