Arrest made in scam targeting elderly victims

To be attributed to Detective Sergeant Colin Baillie:

Christchurch Police have this morning arrested a 22-year-old man in relation to a telephone scam that has been targeting elderly people across New Zealand.

The man will be appearing in Christchurch District Court this afternoon on five charges of causing loss by deception, as well as perverting the course of justice and breach of bail.

The charges follow a police investigation into the scam, whereby offenders make contact with elderly people over the phone, claiming to be from power companies and banks and threatening to disconnect their power if payment is not made immediately.

Enquiries into the scam are continuing, and Police still have a large number of people to speak to in relation to this offending.

We would like to hear from anyone who believes they may have been a victim of this scam and has not yet spoken to Police; and to anyone else who might have information pertinent to the investigation.
Please contact Christchurch Police on 03 363 7400.

Police would also like to reiterate that banks will never ask for account details over the phone.
If you receive a call from someone claiming to be from your bank and they ask for such details, hang up immediately.

Other advice for people who receive calls of this nature includes:
• Seek validation of who the caller actually is.
Always ask for a full name and the company or agency details.

• Validate the phone number of the caller and ask that they call you from a landline if they are using a mobile phone.
• Ignore calls from unknown mobile numbers.
• Don’t share your personal details until you are convinced the caller is legitimate.
• If you are threatened, simply hang up.
• Don’t trust anyone who calls you and asks for financial information such as your account details and password – again simply hang up, call them on their published contact 0800 number or arrange a meeting at the relevant agency branch.

ENDS

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