[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":303},["ShallowReactive",2],{"insight-\u002Finsights\u002Fgetting-scammed-online-what-to-do-next":3,"insight-surround-\u002Finsights\u002Fgetting-scammed-online-what-to-do-next":290},{"id":4,"title":5,"author":6,"body":7,"date":275,"description":276,"draft":277,"extension":278,"meta":279,"navigation":280,"path":281,"readingTime":282,"seo":283,"stem":284,"tags":285,"__hash__":289},"insights\u002Finsights\u002Fgetting-scammed-online-what-to-do-next.md","I think I've been scammed — what do I do now?","Jason Webb",{"type":8,"value":9,"toc":264},"minimark",[10,14,17,22,25,54,58,78,82,85,119,122,126,129,167,171,174,201,205,243,247,250,253,256],[11,12,13],"p",{},"First: take a breath. Getting scammed doesn't make you stupid. These people do this professionally, all day, every day. They're good at it. What matters now is what you do next.",[11,15,16],{},"Here's a step-by-step guide depending on what happened.",[18,19,21],"h2",{"id":20},"if-you-entered-your-password-on-a-fake-website","If you entered your password on a fake website",[11,23,24],{},"This is the most common one — a phishing email leads you to a convincing-looking login page, and you type in your details before realising something's off.",[26,27,28,36,42,48],"ol",{},[29,30,31,35],"li",{},[32,33,34],"strong",{},"Change that password immediately."," Go directly to the real website (type the address yourself, don't click any links) and change your password.",[29,37,38,41],{},[32,39,40],{},"Change it everywhere else you use it."," If you've reused that password on other sites — and be honest with yourself — change those too. This is the most important step.",[29,43,44,47],{},[32,45,46],{},"Turn on two-factor authentication"," for that account if you haven't already.",[29,49,50,53],{},[32,51,52],{},"Check for any suspicious activity."," Look at recent login history, sent emails, or account changes. If it's an email account, check your sent folder and rules — attackers sometimes set up forwarding rules to keep intercepting your messages.",[18,55,57],{"id":56},"if-you-gave-out-your-credit-card-or-bank-details","If you gave out your credit card or bank details",[26,59,60,66,72],{},[29,61,62,65],{},[32,63,64],{},"Call your bank immediately."," Every New Zealand bank has a 24\u002F7 fraud line. Tell them exactly what happened. They can freeze your card, reverse pending transactions, and issue a new card — usually within minutes.",[29,67,68,71],{},[32,69,70],{},"Check your recent transactions."," Look for anything you don't recognise, no matter how small. Scammers often start with a tiny test transaction before going bigger.",[29,73,74,77],{},[32,75,76],{},"Keep records."," Screenshot the fake website, save the email or text, note the time and date. Your bank and the police will want these.",[18,79,81],{"id":80},"if-you-sent-money-via-bank-transfer","If you sent money via bank transfer",[11,83,84],{},"This is harder to undo, but not impossible if you act fast.",[26,86,87,93,107],{},[29,88,89,92],{},[32,90,91],{},"Call your bank straight away."," If the transfer is still processing, they may be able to stop it.",[29,94,95,98,99,106],{},[32,96,97],{},"Report it to the police."," File a report at ",[100,101,105],"a",{"href":102,"rel":103},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.police.govt.nz\u002F",[104],"nofollow","police.govt.nz"," or call 105 (non-emergency). You'll need a police report number for your bank's fraud investigation.",[29,108,109,112,113,118],{},[32,110,111],{},"Report it to CERT NZ."," Go to ",[100,114,117],{"href":115,"rel":116},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.cert.govt.nz\u002F",[104],"cert.govt.nz"," and file a report. They track scam patterns and can sometimes help coordinate recovery.",[11,120,121],{},"Be realistic: money sent to an overseas account via bank transfer is very difficult to recover. But domestic transfers caught quickly have a much better chance.",[18,123,125],{"id":124},"if-you-gave-someone-remote-access-to-your-computer","If you gave someone remote access to your computer",[11,127,128],{},"Some scams involve a phone call from \"Microsoft\" or \"Spark\" telling you your computer is infected, then asking you to install remote access software so they can \"fix\" it.",[26,130,131,137,143,149,161],{},[29,132,133,136],{},[32,134,135],{},"Disconnect from the internet."," Turn off WiFi or unplug the ethernet cable. This cuts their access immediately.",[29,138,139,142],{},[32,140,141],{},"Uninstall the remote access software."," Common ones they use include AnyDesk, TeamViewer, and SupRemo. Remove them from your computer.",[29,144,145,148],{},[32,146,147],{},"Change your passwords"," — all of them — from a different device (your phone is fine). Start with email and banking.",[29,150,151,154,155,160],{},[32,152,153],{},"Run a malware scan."," Use ",[100,156,159],{"href":157,"rel":158},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.malwarebytes.com\u002F",[104],"Malwarebytes"," to check if they installed anything else while they had access.",[29,162,163,166],{},[32,164,165],{},"Call your bank"," if you logged into internet banking while they were connected, or if they asked you to.",[18,168,170],{"id":169},"if-youre-not-sure-what-happened","If you're not sure what happened",[11,172,173],{},"If something feels off but you're not sure exactly what information was exposed:",[175,176,177,183,189,195],"ul",{},[29,178,179,182],{},[32,180,181],{},"Change your email password"," as a precaution (from a different device if possible)",[29,184,185,188],{},[32,186,187],{},"Check your email's sent folder and rules"," for anything you didn't set up",[29,190,191,194],{},[32,192,193],{},"Monitor your bank accounts"," closely for the next few weeks",[29,196,197,200],{},[32,198,199],{},"Run a malware scan"," on any device involved",[18,202,204],{"id":203},"reporting-scams-in-new-zealand","Reporting scams in New Zealand",[175,206,207,217,228,237],{},[29,208,209,212,213,216],{},[32,210,211],{},"CERT NZ"," — ",[100,214,117],{"href":115,"rel":215},[104]," — the government's cyber security agency",[29,218,219,212,222,227],{},[32,220,221],{},"Netsafe",[100,223,226],{"href":224,"rel":225},"https:\u002F\u002Fnetsafe.org.nz\u002F",[104],"netsafe.org.nz"," — free advice and support for online incidents",[29,229,230,233,234],{},[32,231,232],{},"NZ Police"," — call 105 or report online at ",[100,235,105],{"href":102,"rel":236},[104],[29,238,239,242],{},[32,240,241],{},"Your bank's fraud team"," — the number is on the back of your card",[18,244,246],{"id":245},"dont-be-too-hard-on-yourself","Don't be too hard on yourself",[11,248,249],{},"I've helped plenty of people clean up after scams — teachers, business owners, retired professionals, tech-savvy teenagers. There's no profile of a \"typical victim.\" Scammers exploit trust and urgency, not ignorance.",[11,251,252],{},"The best thing you can do after it happens is act quickly, secure your accounts, and learn what to watch for next time.",[254,255],"hr",{},[11,257,258,259,263],{},"If you've been caught out and need a hand sorting things out — checking your computer, securing your accounts, or just talking through what happened — ",[100,260,262],{"href":261},"\u002Fcontact","get in touch",". No judgement, just practical help.",{"title":265,"searchDepth":266,"depth":266,"links":267},"",2,[268,269,270,271,272,273,274],{"id":20,"depth":266,"text":21},{"id":56,"depth":266,"text":57},{"id":80,"depth":266,"text":81},{"id":124,"depth":266,"text":125},{"id":169,"depth":266,"text":170},{"id":203,"depth":266,"text":204},{"id":245,"depth":266,"text":246},"2026-04-24","Clicked a dodgy link or given out personal details? Here's exactly what to do next. Don't panic — act quickly.",false,"md",{},true,"\u002Finsights\u002Fgetting-scammed-online-what-to-do-next","5 min read",{"title":5,"description":276},"insights\u002Fgetting-scammed-online-what-to-do-next",[286,287,288],"security","personal","advice","Ta-8EY0v7XG0zxDKfi8Strdw6HvP5NmpLVF5Q4SaD_g",[291,297],{"title":292,"path":293,"stem":294,"description":295,"date":296,"children":-1},"Five tech habits that quietly protect your business","\u002Finsights\u002Ffive-tech-habits-that-quietly-protect-your-business","insights\u002Ffive-tech-habits-that-quietly-protect-your-business","Most business disasters I've helped clean up could have been prevented by five small, boring habits. None of them cost much.","2026-04-03",{"title":298,"path":299,"stem":300,"description":301,"date":302,"children":-1},"Internet safety for families — a balanced approach","\u002Finsights\u002Finternet-safety-for-families","insights\u002Finternet-safety-for-families","Keeping your family safe online doesn't mean locking everything down. A practical approach for households with kids and teens.","2026-05-13",1779856047514]