New Zealand MoJ Survey: Online Fraud and Scams Now the Most Common Crime in the Country

New Zealanders are more likely to experience fraud or online scam crime than any other crime. The latest statistics released by the New Zealand Ministry of Justice's Crime and Victims survey show that 10% of people experienced a type of fraud, making it the most common crime in the country.

Rebecca Parish, Justice Ministry General Manager Sector Insights, said that the number of fraud victims they have reported has increased significantly in the last year.

The number of victims in 2023 was 189,000 more than in 2021, with 437,000 people experiencing 541,000 incidents.

“This trend continued in 2023, with 10% of New Zealanders experiencing fraud in the last 12 months, ” Parish said. “The increase is a worldwide trend and is likely related to people carrying out more financial activity online, especially online shopping.”

Most fraud was unauthorized bank transactions at 66%, followed by online shopping fraud at 20%.

The largest increase in fraud victims was seen in the over 30s, Asian, and higher income brackets.

The majority of fraud occurred online, with only 2% taking place over the phone, and while 78% were reported to banks, only 11% were reported to the police, making it one of the least reported crimes.

People said that they had reported the case to their bank but felt that it was too trivial or that the police would not be interested or could do nothing. They also felt that the cost of the hassle and inconvenience was twice the financial cost.

Brent Carey, CEO of New Zealand online safety non-profit organization Netsafe, said the statistics are a bit of a wake-up call. He said Netsafe's fraud reports grew 20% a year, with 15,000 reports last year.

Carey said to remember that if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. He recommended using strong passwords, being careful about sharing personal information and avoiding clicking on links you don't know.

(Source: The Post)