New Zealanders lose NZD $503.5 million to scams

New research from the Global Anti-Scam Alliance and Netsafe found New Zealanders face an average of 88 scam attempts a year, with 83% of adults encountering at least one scam in the past 12 months.

One in four adults who interacted with a scam lost money, and the findings estimate total losses over the past year at more than NZD $503.5 million. Average losses per victim were NZD $1,623, while 37% of victims said they had been scammed more than once.

The report examined scam encounters, interactions, financial harm and prevention. It was based on an online survey of 1,180 New Zealand adults and is part of a wider programme covering 42 countries.

Email was the most common route used by scammers, cited by 59% of respondents, followed by text messages at 44% and phone calls at 27%. Gmail and Facebook were the platforms most often named as the point of contact, at 38% and 35% respectively.

Confidence in spotting scams remained high, but the data pointed to a gap between confidence and behaviour. Nearly three-quarters of adults, or 73%, said they were confident they could recognise a scam, yet 44% of those who encountered one went on to interact with it.

Among those who interacted, 23% lost money or had personal information used to steal money. Shopping scams, impersonation scams and investment scams drew the highest levels of engagement.

Detection gap

The findings also suggest many victims do not realise immediately that they have been deceived. Almost half, or 49%, said they found out only after being told by a bank, family member or authority, up from 37% a year earlier.

Mental wellbeing also featured strongly in the results. Six in 10 victims said the experience affected their mental wellbeing, showing the harm extended beyond direct financial loss.

Reporting rates were relatively high, with 74% of those who encountered a scam saying they reported it to someone. But they were far more likely to tell friends or family, at 51%, than police, at 17%.

Recovery of money remained limited. Of those who reported losing money, 42% said some or all of it had been recovered or reimbursed.

Netsafe said the results showed the burden of prevention could not rest mainly with individuals navigating routine online activity. Brent Carey, Chief Executive Officer of Netsafe, said consumers were being asked to identify increasingly sophisticated deception while shopping, banking and job hunting.

"People should be able to look for work, buy something online or respond to a message from their bank without having to become experts in deception," Carey said.

He said the volume of scam attempts meant responsibility also sat with organisations involved in those day-to-day services.

"The frequency of scam encounters in New Zealand makes protection a responsibility for every organisation involved in those everyday activities," Carey said.

Call to business

Carey said businesses needed to increase spending on prevention measures, improve reporting channels and work more closely across sectors. He also pointed to the need for clearer support when a customer has already been caught by a scam.

"We are calling for greater investment in prevention, clearer reporting processes and stronger collaboration across industries. Businesses also need to consider what happens when a customer falls victim to a scam, with clear reporting processes and accessible support essential to limiting further harm. Someone seeking help should be able to understand where to report, what action may be possible and where further support is available. Confusion about those steps adds to an already difficult experience," Carey said.

The research highlighted how familiar brands and apparently genuine communications were making scams harder to detect. Netsafe said this created pressure on companies to tighten verification processes and review how they communicate with customers.

The study used a standardised consumer survey model rather than government or law enforcement datasets, and applied stricter validation checks and more conservative loss estimates. The methodology also placed greater emphasis on emotional impact and behaviour, including the gap between stated confidence and actual outcomes.

For Netsafe, the benchmark for success goes beyond counting reports or losses alone.

"Success should be judged by whether people can find appropriate help, understand their next steps and participate online with greater confidence," Carey said.