Police in Oamaru say more people are being scammed online.
They had seen an increase in fraud cases, particularly on Facebook Marketplace, Oamaru police investigation support unit member Cory Anderson said.
He urged people to remain cautious when transferring money online.
“Don’t put money into an account if you don’t have the goods, the tangible goods.”
People were being scammed for up to $60,000, he said.
The online scammers were also impersonating banks, even phoning people after making online contact and telling people to transfer money out of their account and into another to prevent it from being stolen.
“A bank will not ask you to transfer money into an account. They won’t ask you for a PIN number,” Mr Anderson said.
“If you or anyone you know has fallen victim to an online scam, please get in contact with the police,” he said.
By Nic Duff
