Parliament’s Finance and Expenditure Committee has unanimously agreed to open a briefing into the responsibility of banks in identifying the “hallmarks” of scams, after a Tinder fraud conned women out of millions of dollars.
Stuff revealed at least two New Zealand women, Joanne and Donna – not their real names – have each been tricked into giving more than $500,000 by men they met through the online dating app in near-identical cons.
Police say millions of dollars a year are being swindled from women in romance scams, believed to be run by organised criminal groups based offshore.
On Wednesday, Parliament’s Finance and Expenditure Committee discussed Green MP Chlöe Swarbrick’s request for a briefing on banks’ processes and consumer protections for scams, referencing the “egregious case” of the Tinder-swindler scam.
READ MORE:
* ‘What the hell?’: Men whose images were used to con women out of millions in Tinder scam revealed
* Greens want inquiry into banks’ responses to scams following Tinder swindler cons
* ‘You’re kidding me’: Woman who lost $517k to Tinder swindler years ago ‘blown away’ to see another woman duped
* Presenter in Tinder swindler’s fake news video thought she was helping people learn English
* ‘Prince Charming’ Tinder swindler targeted Kiwi women for years
Swarbrick said following the meeting the committee had agreed unanimously to open a briefing on the responsibility of banks in identifying and protecting customers when it comes to the “hallmarks” and “red flags” of such scams.
“We’re opening the briefing with a request to the Banking Ombudsman to define what they see as bank responsibility, especially in the context of their public comments about ‘red flags’ and ‘hallmark scams’, which will help us to get a sense of problem definition.”
After an initial public hearing, it will be the committee’s discretion to decide to invite other submitters.
Swarbrick earlier said she believed it made sense to hear from the banks about their processes, as well as the police and potentially also Netsafe and Consumer NZ.
“This briefing is a critical foot in the door to starting the process of gathering information and building both public and parliamentary understanding of this issue.
“We’ll then be operating from solid facts when negotiating the committee’s next steps, whether that be recommendations for regulatory or legislative change, banks put on notice to update processes, or otherwise.”
Stuff
Mark Cain unknowingly had his image used as part of an elaborate Tinder scam, which used several photos of a man who was said to be “Dale Plumides”. It was actually Cain on a private jet flying from Dallas.
Joanne said she was relieved to hear the news.
“It’s great news for the women and families who have been preyed on by this scam. It’s great to hear that they are taking it seriously.”
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.
On Saturday, Swarbrick wrote to the committee to say she “strongly” believed both it and the public would benefit from hearing from several agencies including banks, the Banking Ombudsman and police on the current approaches and where they might need updating.
“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.”
The Green Party’s Commerce and Consumer Affairs spokesperson Ricardo Menéndez March previously 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.”
RICKY WILSON/Stuff
Green MP Chlöe Swarbrick’s requested a briefing on banks’ processes and consumer protections for scams, referencing the “egregious case” of the Tinder swindler scam.
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”.
Police are urging 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
Advice for those looking for love online includes:
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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
Anyone who believes they are the victim of a scam can contact police and report the matter via 105, or visit consumerprotection.govt.nz/general-help/scamwatch for more information on how to protect themselves, family and friends from being scammed.
