New Zealanders are being warned to keep an eye out as a phishing scam sweeps the nation.
The Department of Internal Affairs and New Zealand Police said unsuspecting people are receiving text messages that claim to be from their bank.
The messages claim to be from banks including BNZ, Westpac, ASB and ANZ.
They claim a new payment of $2000 is due to be deducted from the recipient's account and asks them to click a link to cancel it.
Phishing scams are one of the most common types of scams, and often look genuine because the scammer is impersonating a trusted organisation or person. But don't be fooled - these messages are usually sent to hundreds of people in the hope that one person falls for their con.
Police are warning anyone who receives a suspicious text not to click on any links that are included. The messages should be reported by forwarding it to 7726 for free, police said.
"Remember genuine banks or organisations never contact you to ask for your PIN, password or to move money to another account," police said in a statement on Thursday.
"If you are in any doubt about a message, contact your bank directly to confirm before clicking any links."
NetSafe's quarterly report found that many Kiwis are being hooked by scams, with their latest report from October to December 2021 finding a total of $9.51 million lost to scammers during that time period.
If you've been a victim of a scam you can contact CERT NZ at cert.govt.nz or call 0800 2378 69 for advice and support.
