Globally, cyberattacks are on the rise, with New Zealand among the countries most impacted by financial scams*. Scams are schemes designed to deceive, often with the aim of stealing money or personal information.
Most of the time, when something feels like it’s too good to be true, that’s because it is. For example, someone contacts you out of the blue with an “amazing” investment offer “only available today” or emails you with the news that you won a competition you never entered and need to enter your card details to claim the prize. In the first half of 2024, scams and fraud accounted for a third of cyber incidents affecting individuals**. Scams have become more sophisticated over time, so it’s more important than ever to stay vigilant and take precautions to keep yourself safe from online scammers.
Tips to help you protect yourself online
Keep your devices, software and apps up to date - don’t ignore updates, install them as soon as possible. They can often fix vulnerabilities in a device or an app that attackers could use to gain access to your system. Installing antivirus software and scanning for viruses regularly can help you detect and remove malicious software and viruses from your computer system.
Choose unique passwords or enable passkeys – strengthen your passwords with numbers, symbols, upper and lowercase letters. Never use personal information such as your name, birthday, physical or email address and use a different password for each account. Some websites and apps offer passkeys as an alternative and more secure options to using a password. They are device-specific and don’t require your data to be saved on a website server. Passkeys are generated code that let you sign in using, for example, a fingerprint or a face scan.
Use multi-factor authentication – this enhanced security requires multiple forms of identification to access resources and data. You can send or generate a code on your device that can be used to validate who you are every time you log in.
Back up your data to a separate location – this will help you recover quicker if your data is lost or stolen. For help with this and other useful tips take a look at our article about protecting your digital data.
Limit the personal information you give out online – don’t share your address on social media or photos of sensitive documents like passports, driver licences and bank details.
Pay attention to the details – scammers can be smart and impersonate people you know or organisations you trust. If you receive an email asking you to do something urgently or promising you something, look for tell-tale spelling mistakes and check the domain name of the email address by hovering over it. If you have any doubt, get in touch directly using the contact details from official channels, like a company’s website.
How you can expect to hear from us
We’ll never ask for credit card details over our digital service channels (email, live chat, WhatsApp or Facebook).
We don’t send texts to our customers with links requesting payments.
If you’ve made a claim, we have strict customer identification and verification processes in place which we’ll run through before we discuss anything about your claim or take payment. We’ll never ask for cash to pay an excess or put pressure on you to provide your details if you’re not comfortable doing so.
If at any point in the claims process you’d like to verify that you’re speaking to us, you can ask us to send an email to the address you nominated. Alternatively, you can make sure it’s us by calling us on 0800 500 216.
Need to report a scam?
Depending on the type of cybercrime you’re faced with, there are a number of Government organisations who play a part in protecting New Zealanders from scams:
Netsafe for online scams or fraud
Financial Markets Authority for investment or financial scams
CERT NZ for cybersecurity threats like unauthorised access to emails or devices
The Department of Internal Affairs for text or email scams
The NZ Police if you’ve lost money in a scam or are in immediate danger
You can find out more about scams and fraud from the NZ Police.
*Gen Digital (2024), Gen Threat Report, Q2/2024. Available at: https://www.gendigital.com/blog/news/innovation/q2-2024-threat-report
** National Cyber Security Centre, Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT) NZ (2024) Cyber Security Insights, Quarter One and Quarter Two. Available at: https://www.cert.govt.nz/insights-and-research/quarterly-report/
Any questions?
Now’s a great time to review your insurance. We recommend checking your details are up to date and ensuring the policy and cover you’ve chosen is right for you and your insurance needs.
If you have any questions about your insurance, need to update your AA Insurance policies or would like a quote, don’t hesitate to contact us. We’re open from 8am to 8pm weekdays and from 8am to 6pm weekends and public holidays.
This blog provides general information only and is not intended to be a recommendation or personalised financial advice. Excesses, terms, conditions, limits and exclusions apply to AA Insurance Limited’s policies. Please check the policy wording for details of cover. The provision of cover is subject to the underwriting criteria that apply at the time.