Scam victim justifiably believed she was dealing with government department

Categories:

Fraud & scams, Bank accounts,

Summary:

In September 2025, Natalie received an email that appeared to be from the Inland Revenue Department. The email asked her to follow a link to review the department’s assessment of her taxes. Natalie clicked the link and entered her internet banking details and security information. It turned out the email was from a scammer. The scammer used the information to set up mobile banking on a new device and make payments totalling $16,900. The bank was able to recover $6,200, leaving Natalie with a loss of $10,700. Natalie asked the bank to reimburse her, saying it had failed to keep her money safe, but the bank refused and she complained to us.

Published:

July 2026

Our investigation

The email closely resembled a legitimate message from the department and referred to a type of communication that a person could reasonably expect to receive. We were satisfied it was reasonable for Natalie to believe she was dealing with the department when she clicked the link.

The website also closely imitated the department’s site. We considered the bank had not shown that Natalie failed to take reasonable care by entering her banking details into the website. Natalie reasonably believed she was interacting with a legitimate organisation.

The scammer was able to set up mobile banking by using Natalie’s login details and by answering a security question. After creating a mobile banking PIN, the scammer could continue accessing the account without further authentication. Natalie had never previously used mobile banking.

The bank agreed to reimburse Natalie her loss and rounded the amount up to $11,000.