Finally, a single body is set up to deal with scammers

A new anti-scam coordination group which will see government departments, regulators and private firms work together to reduce rip-offs which cost around $2 billion a year, Consumer Affairs Minister Scott Simpson says.

Simpson said the New Zealand Anti-Scam Alliance would help integrate efforts to protect businesses and consumers, rather than the current ad hoc approach where no single agency has overall responsibility for investigating and prosecuting scammers.

“We frequently hear that real-time information on scams is sourced from different areas across government and the private sector, making for a fragmented, and often, slow response,” he said. “The alliance addresses this by establishing a formal structure for government agencies, banks, telecommunications companies, digital platforms sectors and consumer groups to share data about scams and shut them down in real time.”

One of the alliance’s workstreams involves developing a voluntary code for tech members, including Google and Meta, similar to those adopted by the banking and telecommunications sectors.