from the Wellington Police Facebook page

Police are urging people in the Kapiti-Mana area to be alert to a scam occurring in the community.

The scam involves a purported charity organisation offering to help vulnerable people with housing and associated costs.

Victims are then asked to transfer money, often as an advance on bond, home appliances, bills, etc.

A number of victims have reported losing money to this scam so far.

We’re deeply concerned about this scam and its targeting of vulnerable people who we know can’t afford to lose funds.

Police are following strong lines of enquiry, however we want our community to remain vigilant.

Never transfer money to an individual or organisation that you can’t verify as legitimate.

A legitimate charity will have a website, generally a physical address, and you should be able to speak to more than one person from that organisation.

If you believe you are being currently targeted by a scam that sounds like this, please end contact immediately and get in touch with Police.

If you’ve been a victim of a scam that sounds like this, we also want to hear from you.

Please call 105 and reference file number 230317/4933.

It’s common for scammers to use social media as contact with Direct Messages. A typical FB one goes like this:

“I’m wondering if you have heard anything about the Community Service Block Grant (CSBG) helping program yet? The purpose of the (CSBG) is to supports projects that lessen poverty in communities, Funding the Retired, Government workers, cancer disses ,full time mother , widow, helping to pay great debts off, pay school fees, unemployed workers unions and old men and women Disability, and the address the of low-income individual including the homeless and elderly do you get check from them.”