New Zealand Residents Targeted by New Online Scam

Three men filed a complaint with Christchurch Central police (New Zealand) in the third week of February 2009 regarding an online scam started and finished overseas, but might have caused heavy financial losses to local residents.

The scam started with an online advertisement given by the New Zealand resident for giving property on rent. The residents received an e-mail from an unknown person who called himself a 26 year old female working as an IT manager in a South African-based company.

As per the received reports, malicious people nowadays design chatty e-mails that make the sender to trust them and consider them as friends instead of complete stranger.

In this case, the e-mail sent by the female informed the New Zealand resident that she is coming to New Zealand for vacations and need house on rent. Then she sent several thousands forged US dollars through travelers' cheques for giving the rent in advance.

The paper of cheques was light and cheaper with no water marks, yet forged in such a way to convince the recipient that they were real in $ 500 vouchers.

The recipient continues to receive some more chatty e-mails. Finally, she said in one of the e-mail that her assistant sent extra money by mistake.

Furthermore, she asked the NZ resident to deduct the money for expenses and troubles he faced and sent the remaining amount back by Western Union. Surprisingly, she gave another name to which the money was being transferred. She was kind enough to the recipient by sending name as well as address of the nearest Western Union outlet.

When the unwitting NZ resident went to his bank for getting the traveler cheques encashed, he found the cheques were fake forgeries.

Meanwhile, the police department confirmed that three men who had reported the scam were not the only victims of the scam. The department believes that the number of travelers' cheques victims could be higher, but most of them don't complain to the police due to embarrassment.

Related article: New Zealand Releases Code To Reduce Spam

» SPAMfighter News - 3/6/2009