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ANZ Bank New Zealand has warned of a new scam campaign taking advantage of previously leaked banking details to impersonate bank staff.
Law firms in New Zealand appear to be the target of a new scam campaign looking to trick its victims into providing remote access to their IT systems.
ANZ Bank New Zealand warned in an 18 March advisory that the scammers are calling law firms and impersonating the ANZ fraud team or bank staff.
The scammers are using what appears to be banking details obtained via a previous phishing campaign to back up their claims. In addition to asking victims to grant remote access to their systems, the scammers are also tricking victims into sharing authentication codes in order to reverse a fraudulent transaction.
The calls, ANZ said, appear to come from a +61 or ANZ number.
Victims are asked to either click on a link to fake live chat or search for a website and click on a specific link – in both bases, clicking the link gives the scammers full access to the targeted device.
This access is then used to set up payments to the scammer from the victim’s business and trust accounts.
“Please make sure your staff are aware of this scam – as well as the recent spate of invoice scams targeting law firms,” ANZ Bank New Zealand said in its advisory.
“Remind staff to be vigilant against any phishing calls, emails, or text messages.”
ANZ recommended that anyone receiving a suspicious phone call hang up and report the incident to the bank.
ANZ also said that, as a rule, it will never ask for passwords or PINS, credit card details, or to transfer funds to a “safe” account. Nor will it ask customers to download software or send a security authentication code to “reverse” a transaction.
“Although these incidents have so far related to ANZ customers, this is a reminder for all lawyers to ensure they have the right protection measures in place to avoid similar scams,” a spokesperson for the New Zealand Law Society said.
“Please make sure your staff are aware of this scam and remind them to be vigilant against any phishing calls, emails, or text messages.”
In 2023 alone, scam losses in New Zealand totalled NZ$2.05 billion. A survey that polled 1,000 Kiwis found that 17 per cent of respondents had lost money to a scam.
David Hollingworth has been writing about technology for over 20 years, and has worked for a range of print and online titles in his career. He is enjoying getting to grips with cyber security, especially when it lets him talk about Lego.
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