New Zealanders are losing millions of dollars a year in scams, but a documentary series airing next month fronted by clinical psychologist Nigel Latta aims to reverse this trend by making scammers’ methods - and how to counter them - known to the widest possible audience.

The four-part series You’ve been scammed by Nigel Latta begins 8pm, Monday 3 July on TVNZ, and is supported by the Banking Ombudsman Scheme, in collaboration with New Zealand banks. It brings together some of the country’s foremost experts on scams.

Banking Ombudsman Nicola Sladden said the series had been developed to highlight the psychology behind scams, to share tips for keeping customers’ money safe, and to remove the embarrassment felt by some when scammed.

"The problem is getting worse year by year, as our scheme knows only too well from the increasing number of scam cases coming to us.

"Estimates of losses are hard to say for certain because many victims are too embarrassed to report scams, but the reported figure of nearly $200 million a year is undoubtedly a conservative one.

"New Zealanders like to think they’re a savvy bunch - in fact, 90 per cent believe they can spot a scam - but the losses tell a different story. People of all ages fall victim to scams, losing anywhere from a few hundred dollars to tens of thousands of dollars. Scam activity is constantly evolving and becoming more sophisticated.

"The more people can understand the way scammers try to exploit their emotions, the greater the chance of preventing scams. By highlighting how scammers take victims’ money, this series will hopefully increase consumer awareness and empower people to detect and report scams."

In each episode, Nigel examines a different type of scam and interviews real-life victims to hear how they were duped into parting with their money. He reveals the emotional vulnerabilities scammers can exploit to draw people in, as well as the technological means by which they take their money. He also suggests tips to minimise the risk of being scammed.

Episode one looks at impersonation and phishing scams, also known as information-harvesting scams. Episode two examines investment and buying and selling scams; episode three uncovers extortion and invoice scams; and the final episode deals with remote access and romance scams.

Episode one contains a real-life call from a scammer impersonating an employee in a bank’s fraud team. Nigel and Netsafe Chief Online Safety Officer, Sean Lyons, dissect each stage of the call and show how easily a scammer can use some basic details about a person to build rapport and "socially engineer" him or her into sharing sensitive information. From there, it is only a short step to setting up banking access on another device and draining the victim’s accounts.

Ms Sladden said people should be wary of any message that asks them to click on a link or provide personal or banking details.

"Do not take any action, click on a link, open an attachment, and/or follow instructions before you know the message is genuine. To establish whether a message is genuine, check directly with the organisation you believe it came from."

If you think you’ve been scammed:

- call your bank immediately on their listed number.

- report it to 0800 CERTNZ and 0508 NETSAFE.

- contact the Police.

You’ve been scammed by Nigel Latta first airs on Monday 3 July at 8pm on TV1 and TVNZ+.

Nigel Latta is available for media interviews. To arrange an interview, call Leah Smith, Senior Publicist, TVNZ on 021 935 442. For further comment from Nicola Sladden, call 021 808 059.

The series was produced by Ruckus Media, led by the Banking Ombudsman Scheme, and supported by ANZ, ASB, Westpac, BNZ, Rabobank, Heartland, NBS, The Co-Operative Bank, TSB, SBS, HSBC, ICBC, Bank of China and Kiwibank.

The Banking Ombudsman Scheme is a free and independent dispute resolution service for people who have banking problems. You can contact us on www.bankomb.org.nz or on 0800 805 950.

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