Kiwis are being told to “stay vigilant”, as concerns grow over an overseas package scam making its way to New Zealand.
New Zealand Police say the ploy involves mysterious unnamed parcels being delivered to people's doors with an unexpected gift and QR code to scan.
“Police believe this scamming method could find its way to New Zealand,” they said in a statement forewarning residents to notice if/when a package is unexpected.
There haven’t been any confirmed cases of the scam happening here yet, but Police shared a lengthy message about what to look out for if it does.
“The gift will have the recipients address, but not include the sender's information or be from a known retailer,” NZ Police explained.
“When the recipient opens the package to see what it is and possibly who sent it, there is a QR code to scan to find out who sent the gift.” - at least that’s what it is claiming.
Turns out, the QR code actually allows the offenders to gain access to “any and all data on your phone or device”.
Information they may be able to access includes bank account details and logins and any other financial information stored on your device, as well as, personal data.
The police claim that the danger in this scam is primarily the QR code. “Don’t scan the QR code,” they urged. "Please report information to Police."
The gifts don't seem to be anything other than a freebie to grab attention, so keeping them is okay, but it depends how keen you are.
The safest bet is to toss the whole thing altogether - better safe than sorry, eh?
