Photo: NZ Post
Correction: This article originally misidentified the employer of Sean Lyons, who works for Netsafe.
An Auckland man is reminding people to stay alert, fearing a convincing NZ Post scam text will catch them out this silly season.
Peter Crump sent off a parcel to a friend in Tauranga, but received a text saying he got the address wrong and had to correct it or would be charged for the expense of the parcel being sent back.
The 71-year-old was convinced he got the address correct, so went into the Papatoetoe Post Office where he was told by the store manager that it was indeed a scam.
He said another woman also came into the store at the time and mentioned she had the same experience to Crump.
His friend still received the parcel, despite the text, he said.
NZ Post needed to let people know about the scam to help prevent others from potentially falling victim, he said.
Netsafe online chief safety officer Sean Lyons said Crump did the right thing by going into the post office to clarify if the text was legitimate.
He said Crump's case was very likely to be an unfortunate coincidence because scammers targeted companies that had a large number of customers.
"That's why scammers target a brand like NZ Post. They know that there are hundreds and thousands of packages moving around the country at any one time being sent by people using a brand like NZ Post and so it is more likely to hit somebody who is going to think 'wow, that might be the package that I've just sent'."
Lyons said it was a good reminder, leading up to Christmas, for people to stay vigilant about scams.
There were many signs to look out for, including spelling mistakes, grammatical errors and branding or logos that looked slightly different, he said.
People should also monitor any language used to make the message sound urgent.
"Often scammers will try and get you to act quickly, 'you must do it now, you've only got a few hours left, we're charging you now', all of these things are done to raise your emotional level. Also to try and get you to stop doing the things we encourage. To stop being able to check with family, friends, colleagues whoever it might be... or to stop being able to check with the brands directly."
Report to Netsafe
Contact Netsafe by emailing help@netsafe.org.nz or texting on 4282.
Their helpline is open from 8am - 8pm weekdays and 9am - 5pm on weekends and their free number is 0508 638 723.