Scammers sophisticated deception costing consumers $194 million dollars a year
18 November 2024
During this Fraud Awareness Week the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment (MBIE) and the Banking Ombudsman Scheme are warning that it is more important than ever to learn the signs of online scams.
New data released from PaymentsNZ shows $194,269,962 was lost due to scams in the past year (1 October 2023 – 30 September 2024), according to 11 of New Zealand’s largest financial institutions.
“While it is great to see that figure fall slightly compared 2022/23, the fact that it is still high just proves scammers keep evolving to become more complex” says MBIE Business Specialist, Ian Caplin.
“We are working to help New Zealanders learn what scams look like, as we know how hard it can be to identify them.”
The Banking Ombudsman Scheme has reported a massive increase in bank impersonation scams and is warning New Zealanders to be on the lookout as scams become increasingly hard to detect.
Learn the signs and take action
This year Fraud Awareness Week is focused on encouraging New Zealanders know the signs of phishing, impersonation and online shopping scams so they can take action to protect themselves and their family.
If you suspect you are being scammed, it’s best to be cautious. Don’t be afraid to delete an unusual text message or hang up on a phone call you weren’t expecting” says Mr Caplin.
“If you can stop them before they start interacting and take the time to report scams - you help protect everyone.”
Nicola Sladden, of the Banking Ombudsman, warns New Zealanders to check very carefully before sending money or sharing personal information even if you think you’re dealing with a well known financial institution.
“Bank impersonations are becoming more difficult to spot. Before you send any money or information, check for yourself with the institution by contacting them directly using the contact details on their official website. Do not trust links or contact details supplied by callers” says Ms Sladden.
If you have been targeted by a scammer:
- Stop all contact with the scammer
- Do not make any more payments
- Contact the bank or service you sent money through
- report it to Cert NZ
For more information on what MBIE is doing during this Fraud Awareness Week visit: Home | Consumer Protection
Banking Ombudsman welcomes Government announcement on stronger protections against scams
18 November 2024
The Banking Ombudsman Scheme has welcomed today’s announcement that Minister Bayly has been appointed lead minister for scams to co-ordinate the work across different ministerial portfolios and public sector agencies.
“We welcome Minister Bayly’s announcement today and support clear and decisive leadership to combat the scourge of scams” says Banking Ombudsman Nicola Sladden. “We have been calling for stronger action and for better coordination between government, public agencies and the banking and telecommunication sectors to prevent scams. By working together in a less siloed, more collaborative and sophisticated way, we can better combat the scourge of scams”.
“We see first-hand the emotional and financial cost of scams. In our digital world, it is critical that customers can make payments safely”, Ms Sladden said. “Today’s announcement is an important step towards greater cross-sector collaboration to stop scams before they start and help put things right quickly and fairly when scams do occur.”
Ms Sladden said “the Banking Ombudsman Scheme is receiving over 70 scam complaints a month and behind each of these cases is a story of financial loss and emotional trauma. The financial sums lost are often in the thousands and are lifechanging for many - the psychological impact can be profound.” Since 1 July 2024, the scheme has received over 300 scam-related complaints, 14 per cent higher than the same period a year earlier.
Banking disputes scheme gets high mark in independent review
25 October 2024
The Banking Ombudsman Scheme has scored highly in an independent evaluation of its operations, a report by the reviewer released today shows.
Consultant Deborah Hart, who conducted the five-yearly review, found the dispute resolution scheme met its terms of reference, strategic objectives and legislative requirements, the last of which concern its accessibility, independence, fairness, accountability, efficiency and effectiveness.
“Overall, this is very positive report card,“ said Banking Ombudsman Nicola Sladden. “It confirms that we are making a valued and credible contribution to a fair banking sector.”
The review rated the scheme highly for its dispute resolution work and ability to pinpoint the causes of complaints and share insights with banks and others to improve the overall banking experience.
It also acknowledged the scheme’s rigorous and credible approach to reaching decisions, noting that the scheme had satisfactorily implemented the recommendations of the last review, which Ms Hart also conducted.
Ms Sladden said the review made 11 recommendations, all of which the scheme agreed with and was either already implementing or considering how to implement.
She said the scheme was committed to continuously improving how it worked, and the report would help in that effort.
“We know there are areas where we can improve as we grow in size and face increasingly complex cases, especially those relating to fraud and scams, which continue to make up a large share of our workload.
“We are in the middle of technology and process improvements that will strengthen our ability to analyse and draw insights from complaint data, and we will also continue to work with government agencies, regulators, banks and consumer groups to ensure fair outcomes in a cost-effective and transparent way.”
A copy of the review is available here: review report, together with our preliminary response
Complaints about banks hit record high, says banking ombudsman scheme
23 September 2024
Customers complained in record numbers to the Banking Ombudsman Scheme in 2023-24, according to its latest annual report.
The scheme received 6,054 cases, or an average of more than 500 a month, which was up 8 per cent on the previous year and the highest since the scheme started in 1992.
Banking Ombudsman Nicola Sladden said a 27 per cent rise in scam-related complaints – also the highest on record – was the biggest factor in the increase.
Scam cases made up 949 of the 6,054 total, which Ms Sladden attributed to the continual emergence of new and more sophisticated scams.
The average loss from scams investigated by the scheme was also up sharply – from $57,000 last year to $80,000 this year – an increase of 40 per cent.
Phishing and investment scams continued to predominate, with the latter causing the steepest losses for customers. Ms Sladden said a feature of the year was the increase in unauthorised payment scam cases, in which customers were duped into sharing their banking credentials with criminals.
She said banks and other organisations needed to take more co-ordinated action to slow this disturbing trend.
“We have been calling for some time for such an approach. One immediate way to provide better protection for consumers against scams would be to introduce comprehensive, mandatory codes of practice for banks, telecommunication companies and digital platforms governing their responsibilities in preventing scams and the scope of their liability.”
Ms Sladden said high interest rates, rising prices and generally tough economic conditions continued to make themselves felt in the scheme’s workload, and it was urging banks to remain alert to customers in financial difficulty and offer suitable assistance.
Banks themselves received more than 98,000 complaints during the year, according to the scheme, which collates complaint data on behalf of banks and updates the results on its website. Problems with service accounted for almost half of all complaints, with complaints about delays, queues and waiting times up 9 per cent.
See the annual report attached.
Media contacts
Nicola Sladden, Banking Ombudsman
[email protected]
021 808 059
Sarah Brooks, Deputy Banking Ombudsman – Prevention
[email protected]
021 277 4232
Increased compensation limits for financial disputes
11 July 2024
Financial limits for complaints are being raised across the four approved financial dispute resolution schemes, from 18 July 2024, meaning more consumers can have their disputes resolved without going to court.
The government is aligning the rules of the four approved financial dispute resolution services, giving more consumers access to free dispute resolution.
The four services—the Banking Ombudsman, the Insurance & Financial Services Ombudsman Scheme, Financial Services Complaints – a Financial Ombudsman service, and the Financial Dispute Resolution Service—will have the same thresholds for complaint values and compensation, providing consistency for consumers across the sector. The services provide free, fair, and independent resolution of customer complaints about financial services.
The key change is raising the maximum compensation to $500,000 +GST. Previously, consumers with financial disputes over $350,000 +GST (or $200,000 +GST for the Financial Dispute Resolution Service) were not eligible for free dispute resolution and would have to go to court instead.
Additionally, the maximum compensation for non-financial loss, such as stress and inconvenience, will increase to $10,000 +GST, and what this can be awarded for will be standardised across all four services.
The services fully support the changes and believe that aligning the rules will enhance and standardise access to independent dispute resolution. The changes represent a significant step forward in ensuring that more consumers have access to free and fair dispute resolution.
The Financial Service Providers (Rules for Approved Dispute Resolution Schemes) Regulations 2024 will take effect on 18 July 2024.
Media contacts
Banking Ombudsman
Sarah Brooks, Deputy Banking Ombudsman – Prevention
021 277 4232