Fraudsters impersonate banks online, tricking customers into handing over account details
Westpac New Zealand is warning customers to be alert to a growing scam involving fake Facebook complaints pages, after a fraudulent page impersonating the bank was taken down at its request.
The scam pages mimic legitimate businesses and target people who post publicly about service issues or complaints, luring them in with the promise of a refund, compensation, or account credit.
How the scam works
Peter Barnes (pictured), Westpac NZ head of customer care operations, said the tactic can look harmless at first glance, but carries real financial risk.
"While a fake Westpac NZ complaints page has been taken down at our request by Meta, some customers may have been tricked by the fake page," Barnes said in a media release.
"Customers who posted on the page received a comment back from someone claiming to be from Westpac NZ, with the offer of a quick resolution if the customer provided their full name, email address and contact details."
Once armed with those details, scammers could then approach victims directly under the pretext of processing compensation, using that trust to request banking or card information.
"Unfortunately, any time people provide that kind of information they open themselves up to having their accounts compromised and funds potentially accessed or stolen," Barnes said.
More fake pages likely to emerge
Although the page impersonating Westpac has been removed, the bank's financial crime team says it's aware of several similar fake sites targeting other businesses and expects more to surface as existing ones are shut down.
"As known sites are shut down, others are likely to pop up. The key thing is that people need to be wary of any Facebook complaints pages as they're highly unlikely to be legitimate, and always vigilant when being asked for account and card details," Barnes said.
It isn't the first time Westpac has raised concerns about Meta's response to scam content. In April, Westpac NZ CEO Catherine McGrath said 64% of all scam cases the bank had handled so far that year originated on social media, up from 57% the previous year, and criticised the platform for being slow to remove reported scam ads.
Westpac is urging anyone who suspects they've been targeted to contact the bank immediately, noting that early reporting improves the chances of recovering lost funds. The bank also reiterated that it will never ask customers for their online banking password or PIN, and warned that any redirection to an overseas phone number during one of these interactions should be treated as a red flag.
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