This Mother’s Day, Give The Gift Of Scam Protection And Digital Confidence

Now is a great time to brush up on digital hygiene or share advice with someone you care about – in your family, workplace or social circle.

“When it comes to showing someone you care for them, a bunch of flowers is nice – but helping protect them from scams and digital threats might be the most powerful gift you could give,” says Sahar Lone, Consumer NZ’s communications and campaigns manager.

“Many of us act as unofficial tech support for the mother figures in our lives. Mother’s Day is a great time to sit down together and set up some simple protections or share some tips to the family group chat. It’s a free, practical and genuinely caring gesture.”

Consumer’s latest Sentiment Tracker results show that 56% of New Zealand households have been targeted by scams in the last year. Notably, high-value losses are growing – 34% of scam victims lost over $1,000, up from 26% last year.

With scams becoming more sophisticated – from fake parcel tracking texts to the rise of ‘Hi Mum’ impersonation scams – it’s important to have these conversations, says Lone.

“These chats can feel awkward, but they don’t have to be. One way that works for a lot of people is to tell a story – whether it’s yours or someone else’s – to share, not shame.”

The Financial Crime Prevention Network found people aged 50 years and older are a bit more common in scam victim data, but all age groups are affected.

“Scams affect New Zealanders of all ages and backgrounds - not just older individuals or those who aren't tech-savvy. While women are slightly more likely to fall victim, no one is immune” says Lone.

So, yes, helping your mum with scam protections is a gift to her – but also a way to protect your whole whānau from messy financial fallout.

Seven tips to share this Mother’s Day:

1. Set up two-factor authentication for accounts like banking, email and social media. This extra layer of protection sends a code to your phone or email to log in. Make sure the phone number you give is a mobile – not a landline.

2. Use a password manager. These tools store and generate strong passwords, so you don’t have to remember them.

“You only need to remember one password, the ‘vault’ password,” says Lone. “And if you write it down, don’t label it. Just stash it away somewhere safe.”

3. Don’t reuse passwords. A password manager makes it easy to create unique passwords for every site, limiting the amount of thinking you have to do.

4. Avoid clicking links in emails or texts. “Even if it looks legit, go to the website directly instead of clicking a link that someone has sent you,” says Lone.

5. Check that account names and numbers match. Major banks offer confirmation of payee, a service that can help make sure your money goes to the right person. If there's a partial match, no match, or other issue, check the details and only pay if you're sure they're correct. If you proceed without a full match, you risk sending the money to the wrong account and may never get it back.

6. Only buy from trusted sites and check the URL. Scammers often use social media marketplaces and create fake websites. According to the State of Scams in New Zealand 2024 report by New Zealand’s online safety organisation Netsafe and the Global Anti-Scam Alliance, scammers use Gmail, Facebook and WhatsApp as their go-to platforms.

7. Make a family scam plan. “My mum and I agreed I’ll never contact her about money in writing, only in person. That gives us both peace of mind,” says Lone.

And while you’re on the topic, take the opportunity to talk with the whole whānau about how they’d respond to a scam, including the following steps:

1. If something feels off, act quickly. Contact your bank, report the incident to the National Cyber Security Centre’s response team, CERT NZ, and if needed, reach out to the police, a lawyer or the Banking Ombudsman Scheme.

2. Go to Netsafe or CERT NZ for free scam information and support.

3. Sign our Stamp out scams petition and help apply pressure to government to introduce a national scam framework in New Zealand that will hold businesses to account.

About Consumer

Consumer NZ is an independent, non-profit organisation dedicated to championing and empowering consumers in Aotearoa. Consumer NZ has a reputation for being fair, impartial and providing comprehensive consumer information and advice.

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