A fraudster has persuaded a Whangārei couple into giving up their PINs and leaving their bank cards in the mailbox.
Police were in the early stages of an investigation into the scam, which was launched after a couple described as “elderly” had tens of thousands of dollars taken from their accounts over the weekend.
Detective Senior Sergeant Shane Pilmer said the couple were contacted about replacing their bank cards and were then convinced to give up their personal identification numbers (PINs) and to leave their EFTPOS cards in the letterbox.
“Sadly, over the weekend, tens of thousands of dollars has been taken out of their accounts,” Pilmer said.
The fraud was reported on Monday, and was being investigated.
Pilmer urged the community to be “extremely vigilant” and called on families and neighbours to check in on each other.
“It’s appalling behaviour where trusting members of the community have been deceived to the point their hard-earned money is being taken.
“The last thing we need right now is other people in the community falling victim to this offending.”
He urged anyone who might be contacted by potential scammers not to engage.
“The authorities and banks will never call you asking to hand over banking details.
“If you’re contacted, hang up immediately and, instead, contact the bank yourself.”
Police asked anyone who may have been contacted under similar circumstances, or had handed over bank cards in a similar way, to call 105.
