CERT NZ has released New Zealand's latest cybercrime statistics — and they show significant recent losses for Kiwis.
From last quarter, cybercrime reports are up 12% and financial losses are up 66% to almost $6 million, CERT has revealed.
Nearly 2000 incidents were reported to the Government organisation between January 1 and March 31 this year.
Sixteen Kiwis lost over $100,000.
And scams are trending up, with investment scams and romance scams among new tactics highlighted in the figures.
Almost $6 million has been lost in the first quarter of this year, CERT NZ says. (Source: Breakfast)
It's led to a warning from the Government organisation.
"In general, the key is to always be vigilant," director Rob Pope said.
CERT has a number of tips, including:
- Don't believe promises of over-the-top investment returns
- Triple-check every company before investing in them
- Don’t reply to investment opportunities that arrive via Whatsapp or other message platforms
Pope also said there's an emerging trend of AI being used in scams.
"The cyber security world is taking notice of how scammers are using AI tools," he said. "AI can be used to write more convincing phishing emails in various languages, to create malicious code, and to even impersonate people in live chats."
The result? CERT's advice on avoiding scams is unchanged, as the tactics are fundamentally the same.
But "it's only a matter of time" before AI-assisted scams take off in New Zealand, the organisation said.
"Take your time when you see investment opportunities online, verify exactly who you're talking to, don't give away your personal information and keep yourself secure online," Pope said.
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