Do not be tricked into sharing your personal information as a new scam that targets unsuspecting members of the public is circulating in the Pacific islands.

The new scam according to the ANZ Bank aims to trick people into handing over their personal details. 

ANZ Regional Executive Pacific, Sarah Stubbings said one example was a message on Facebook Messenger that appears to be ANZ branded and claiming to contain a link to a promotion to win $4,000.

“This is not legitimate and could result in malicious software being installed which can later steal your banking login details,” she said.

“If you receive this message, do not click on the link. If you are concerned that you may have responded to or acted on a scam compromising your personal details, please contact ANZ immediately. We’re here to help 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

“Your digital personal information is just as valuable to a scammer as your money, so always be careful about the information you share online.”

Common scams to watch out for include Phishing scam, which when you receive a hoax email, text or social media post that looks like it's come from a legitimate company like your bank, mobile phone or internet service provider. 

The phishing scammer wants to trick you into giving them your personal information such as your password, bank account or credit card number. 

Be extra diligent if you receive an email that asks you to verify your Customer Registration Number, username, password or PIN; asks you to fill out your personal details in exchange for a prize; claims to alert you to suspicious activity on your bank account and asks you to log in using a link in the email; is not addressing you by name at the start of the message; asks to click on a link or open an attachment.

Remote access scams is when the scammer will phone you and pretend to be a staff member from a large telecommunications or technology organisation. They may claim your internet connection has been hacked or your security has been compromised and your assistance is required with an investigation. Normally, the real organisations will not make unsolicited calls or ask you to install software to access your computer device remotely.

“If something doesn’t seem right or is unexpected, question it,” Ms. Stubbings said.

ANZ will never contact customers asking for their account details, financial details, or their log in details for ANZ Internet Banking or the ANZ Pacific App. ANZ customers can call the ANZ Contact Centre, visit their nearest branch or use BankMail through their ANZ Internet Banking or ANZ Pacific App to securely send and receive messages from ANZ.