Scoop has an Ethical Paywall
Hoax Txt Message Affects Police Comms Centres
Hoax Txt Message Affects Police Comms Centres
Scoop News: - Police communication centres throughout New Zealand are being affected by a hoax txt scam circulating among Vodafone customers. The hoax txt message asks people to forward the txt on to 13 other people, and suggests if they do so they will receive $20 worth of free Vodafone air time. They are told that if they do not receive the $20 credit they should phone *555.
The *555 number is a direct line to the Police Communication Centres intended for reporting traffic incidents.
Police have said the centres are receiving large numbers of calls on the *555 number from people complaining that they have not received their $20. The calls are tying up the police communicators and preventing genuine calls for police assistance being answered promptly.
Police have asked media outlets to publicise the scam and inform the public it is a hoax. There is no free air time, and the spurious calls to *555 are reducing the ability of the police to respond to genuine calls promptly.
Scoop
Scoop Independent News
Scoop is NZ's largest independent news source; respected widely in media, political, business and academic circles for being the place on the internet for publishing "what was really said", and for the quality of its analysis of issues.
Peter Dunne: Luxon Gets Out His Butcher's Knife - Briefly
Binoy Kampmark: Warring Against Encryption, Australia Is Coming For Your Communications
Gordon Campbell: On Fast Track Powers, Media Woes And The Tiktok Ban
Binoy Kampmark: Censorship Wars, Elon Musk, Safety Commissioners And Violent Content
Gordon Campbell: On The Public Sector Carnage, And Misogyny As Terrorism
Ramzy Baroud: NATO’s Never-ending War: The 75-Year-Old Bully Is Faltering