Across New Zealand, the ordinary traffic of inboxes, phones and screens has become a daily gauntlet: the average resident faced 88 scam attempts in the past year, and the losses ran past half a billion dollars. The research suggests the problem is less about individual carelessness than about a widening gap between how sure people feel and how hard deception has become to spot, since familiar names and convincing messages now blur the line between genuine and fake. It raises a question older than any single report: when trust is the thing being exploited, who carries the weight of protecting i
New Zealanders Faced an Average of 88 Scam Attempts Last Year, Costing Over $500 Million
Of those who interacted with a scam, 23% lost money or had personal information used to steal money.
Eighty-eight scam attempts per person, and more than half a billion dollars lost
Mark
Eighty-eight scam attempts per person in a year. That's more than one every five days. Why does this number matter?
Mimi
Because it reframes scams as a constant background condition, not a rare event. The report's argument is that people shouldn't need to be experts in deception just to buy something online or answer their bank.
Luke
Careful with the 88, though. It's described as an average from one piece of research. We aren't told here who ran it, how it counted an attempt, or how many people were surveyed.
Mark
What about the half-billion dollars?
Mimi
It's reported as more than half a billion lost. That's the headline cost, and it sits alongside the finding that 23% of those who interacted with a scam lost money or had their information used to steal money.
Luke
Right, but the source doesn't say how that total was built. I'd treat it as the research's figure, not an official tally.
Mark
The confidence numbers seem odd. 73% feel confident, yet 44% of those who met a scam interacted with it.
Mimi
That's the tension. Feeling able to spot a scam isn't the same as avoiding one, especially when scams use familiar brands and look genuine.
Luke
Though the two figures come from different groups. The 73% is all adults; the 44% is people who encountered a scam. They aren't a direct contradiction.
Mark
And recovery?
Mimi
42% of those who lost money got some or all back. And only 17% told police, versus 51% telling friends or family.
Luke
What we don't know is whether the low police figure reflects confusion, doubt it would help, or something else. The report's call for clearer reporting suggests confusion, but that's the author's reading.
Der Puls
- Eighty-eight scam attempts per person in a single year turns routine email, texts and calls into a constant background hum of risk.
- Nearly half of those who met a scam engaged with it, and about one in four of those lost money or had their details turned against them.
- Most people spoke up, yet most told friends or family rather than police, leaving only 17% of encounters in official hands.
- Fewer than half of money-losers recovered anything, and the call is growing for businesses to verify more carefully and make reporting clearer.
Across New Zealand, the ordinary traffic of inboxes, phones and screens has become a daily gauntlet: the average resident faced 88 scam attempts in the past year, and the losses ran past half a billion dollars. The research suggests the problem is less about individual carelessness than about a widening gap between how sure people feel and how hard deception has become to spot, since familiar names and convincing messages now blur the line between genuine and fake. It raises a question older than any single report: when trust is the thing being exploited, who carries the weight of protecting it?
Eighty-eight. That is the average number of scam attempts each New Zealander faced over the past year, and the money lost nationwide came to more than half a billion dollars. Email was the most common route, reaching 59% of those surveyed, followed by text messages at 44% and phone calls at 27%.
The research uncovered a troubling gap between confidence and behaviour. Some 73% of adults said they could recognise a scam, yet 44% of those who came across one went on to engage with it. Of those who engaged, 23% lost money or had their personal information used to steal money.
People did speak up, with 74% telling someone, but they were far more likely to confide in friends or family (51%) than in police (17%). Recovery proved rare: only 42% of those who lost money got some or all of it back.
The researchers point to a problem of trust, as scam messages grow more convincing and borrow familiar brands. Carey, the man quoted in the coverage, argued that individuals should not have to become experts in deception just to shop, job-hunt or answer a message from their bank. He called on businesses to invest in prevention, simplify reporting and offer accessible support, so that someone harmed knows where to turn. With so few victims recovering funds, pressure on businesses to tighten verification is likely to grow.
Eighty-eight. That is the average number of scam attempts each New Zealander faced over the past year, according to new research, and the money lost across the country came to more than half a billion dollars.
The report looked at how scammers reach people. Email remains the most common route, with 59% of those surveyed encountering scams that way. Text messages followed at 44%, and phone calls at 27%.
The research found a gap between confidence and behaviour. Almost three-quarters of adults, 73%, said they were confident they could recognise a scam. Yet 44% of those who came across a scam went on to interact with it. Of the people who interacted, 23% lost money or had their personal information used to steal money.
Reporting turned out to be common, but recovery much less so. Nearly three-quarters of people who encountered a scam, 74%, told someone about it. They were far more likely to tell friends or family, at 51%, than the police, at 17%. Among those who reported losing money, 42% had some or all of it recovered or reimbursed.
The findings point to a problem of trust. The research highlighted how scam messages and scenarios are becoming more convincing, with familiar brands and seemingly genuine communications making it harder for people to judge who is real.
The man quoted in the coverage, Carey, argued that the burden should not fall on individuals. "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," he said. He added that the frequency of scam encounters makes protection a responsibility for every organisation involved in those everyday activities.
Carey said New Zealand businesses must do more to protect consumers. He called for greater investment in prevention, clearer reporting processes and stronger collaboration across industries. He also pointed to what happens after a customer is scammed: clear reporting processes and accessible support, he said, are 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, and confusion about those steps adds to an already difficult experience.
He framed the convincing nature of modern scams as an opening for businesses to strengthen verification processes, improve customer communications and make sure their advice reflects the situations people actually meet. With fewer than half of those who lost money getting any of it back, and only 17% of scam encounters reaching police, pressure on businesses over prevention and reporting may well grow.
Bemerkenswerte Zitate
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, quoted in the research coverage
Calls for greater investment in prevention, clearer reporting processes and stronger collaboration across industries.— Carey
Möchten Sie die ganze Geschichte?
Das Original lesen bei NZ Herald ↗