Scammers claiming to be from the SFO

We have been made aware of a number of scams in recent years involving people claiming to be from the SFO.

Victim compensation or recovery scam

A number of advertisements have appeared on social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram which offer compensation for victims of fraud. The advertisements appear to be from the UK SFO, but claim to be for residents of New Zealand. They ask victims to submit an online application form.

This is a suspected recovery scam. The NZ SFO is not involved in recovering losses for scam victims.

Anyone concerned that they have lost money in a scam should contact the NZ Police(external link).

The FMA has more information about recovery scams on its website(external link).

Example of the scams appearing on social media.

Phone scam

 Legitimate callers from the NZ Serious Fraud Office will give you the following information: 

  • Their first and last name; 
  • A case or matter reference; 
  • New Zealand contact details (such as a phone number and/or email address); 
  • Context or an explanation for why they are calling you.

 

Please note the following: 

  • We do not use pre-recorded messages.   
  • We will not request payments, impose fines or any other financial penalties. 
  • We will not call you about your phone being hacked or stolen. 
  • We will not call you from an overseas phone number. 
  • We will not ask you to contact an office outside of New Zealand.
  • We will not call and ask you to share your screen or remotely take control of your computer.

 

If you have any doubt about the legitimacy of a call, please hang up.   

 

If you believe the call may be genuine and wish to verify the details of the SFO caller, please email us on sfo@sfo.govt.nz or call 0800 109 800 and state the name and contact details of the SFO person who called you and the case or matter reference you were provided. 

If you believe you have been the target of a scam, please contact Netsafe to report the scam and get advice on what to do next. For more information see: Cold call scams - Netsafe – Providing free online safety advice in New Zealand(external link) 

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