The Green Party wants to see an inquiry into banks’ processes in dealing with scams following revelations of a Tinder swindler con getting millions of dollars from Kiwi women.
Stuff earlier revealed at least two New Zealand women, Joanne* and Donna* have been tricked into giving more than $500,000 each by men they met on Tinder in near-identical cons.
The elaborate scams involved fake news videos, a fake bank site and dozens of emails and daily phone calls.
Police say millions of dollars a year are being conned out of women in romance scams, believed to be run by organised criminal groups based offshore.
READ MORE:
* How a ‘prince charming’ Tinder swindler conned a woman out of $540k
* ‘Prince Charming’ Tinder swindler targeted Kiwi women for years
* There are bad dates and then there’s The Tinder Swindler: Anatomy of a romance nightmare
On Saturday, Green MP Chlöe Swarbrick, who is a member of Parliament’s Finance and Expenditure Committee, asked the committee for a briefing on banks’ processes and consumer protections for scams, referencing the “egregious case” of the Tinder swindler scam.
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The Tinder swindler used several photos of this man, who he said was Dale Plumides. The real identity of the man in the photos hasn’t been ascertained.
“I strongly believe the Committee and the public would benefit from hearing from our large banks, the Ombudsman, the Bankers’ Association – if not also Consumer NZ, Netsafe and the New Zealand Police – on what current approaches are and where they may need updating.
“Given there’s been some politics related to instigating inquiries in Select Committees of late, I hope a request for basic hearings and information in the form of a briefing from stakeholders on this issue to the Committee would be agreeable to all parties.”
Swarbrick said she hoped to discuss the issue at the committee’s next meeting, and co-ordinate a briefing as soon as possible.
RICKY WILSON/Stuff
On Saturday, Green MP Chlöe Swarbrick, who is a member of the Finance and Expenditure Committee, asked the committee for a briefing on banks’ processes and consumer protections.
“The most important thing here, for us as lawmakers, for the sector and for consumers is understanding where things are at, and if there are identifiable deficiencies, how they could be done better.”
Do you know more? Email sam.sherwood@stuff.co.nz
Green Party’s Commerce and Consumer Affairs spokesperson Ricardo Menéndez March said there was “clearly a lack of clear processes for victims to access justice”, which needed to be addressed “urgently”.
“It makes total sense to have a fulsome inquiry on this issue given it’s yet to be meaningfully addressed in Parliament. While we’d love to see an inquiry, given the recent politics around Select Committees, we’ve opened with a Green request for a basic briefing which can get this process going.”
MARK TAYLOR / STUFF
Joanne* lost about $540,000 in a Tinder swindle.
Banks had an “obligation” to their customers to help protect their money, he said.
“Banks need to do more to keep their customers safe from scams, and also do more to help them when they do get scammed,” he said.
The scams were “particularly violent” in terms of how they targeted women and “preyed on people’s need for intimacy”.
“We acknowledge the heartache and hardship the women affected have been put through, as well as the lack of justice. Parliament must work with banks and the police to ensure that consumer protection is paramount to any reform to tackle scammers.”
Joanne said she welcomed any inquiry.
“I did not think when I came forward that I would get any kind of help from anyone. This is slowly giving me faith in humans again,” she said.
“I will not be the last person who will be preyed upon.”
Private investigator John Borland, who is looking into Joanne’s case, said an inquiry “absolutely has to happen”.
“Overall banks do a good job in certain areas of fraud, but we are looking at a dating scam pandemic stretching years and a review needs to be done to see whether banks are doing enough for their customers”.
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Private investigator John Borland believes multiple people are behind the online dating scam.
Banking Ombudsman Nicola Sladden earlier said she was seeing a “concerning rise” in fraud and scam complaints, year-on-year.
There were a few scam types where customers were tricked into sending their own money to a scammer – such as online purchase scams, investment scams and romance scams.
The sending bank was unlikely to be liable where a person instructs it to send money to someone, and they later find out that the individual was a scammer.
The ombudsman expected banks to take “reasonable steps” to identify and act on red flags such as a customer being evasive or unwilling to provide information about the purpose of a transaction, or where their description of the purpose had a “hallmark” of a scam.
Consumer Affairs Minister David Clark urged anyone who believes they have lost money to a scam to raise it with their bank immediately, saying there was also information via the Financial Market Authority.
“It’s always best to take a cautious approach when dealing with people over the internet. If something doesn’t feel right, ask a trusted friend or family member for their opinion.”
Police also advised people to be wary of any online approaches where something might seem amiss.
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People who always have excuses about why they can’t meet you in person or even video call
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Those who are often in a hard-to-reach place (eg working on oil rigs, in the military, working overseas)
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People who always have a sob story (eg a child or family member is sick), and there’s always a degree of urgency
Police advice for those looking for love online:
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Be careful what you post and make public on the internet. Scammers can use details shared on social media and dating sites to better understand and target you
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Research the person’s photo and profile using online searches to see if the image, name, or details have been used elsewhere
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Beware if the individual seems too perfect or quickly asks you to leave a dating service or social media site to communicate directly
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Note if the individual attempts to isolate you from friends and family or requests inappropriate photos or financial information that could later be used to extort you
If you believe you are the victim of a scam you can contact police and report the matter via 105.
Visit consumerprotection.govt.nz/general-help/scamwatch for more information on how you can prevent yourself, family and friends from being scammed.
