The New Zealand Bankers Association is urging New Zealanders to be on guard against a telephone bank satisfaction survey scam.
Scammers appear to be phoning people saying they are from the New Zealand Banking Association and they are undertaking a survey on bank satisfaction.
The New Zealand Bankers Association is not undertaking a bank satisfaction survey, said New Zealand Bankers Association Chief Executive Sarah Mehrtens.
It is not clear at this stage where the scammers are going with their line of questions but this bank satisfaction survey looks very much like a scam.
People are reminded to safeguard information relating to their bank accounts, and never to disclose their PIN numbers or account passwords to anyone. I would like to emphasise that the New Zealand Bankers Association, and its member banks, will never ask a customer to disclose their PIN number or account password.
The New Zealand Bankers Association has recently received a small number of reports from people who have been phoned. We are grateful for the public’s vigilance and are not aware of anyone having been taken in by the scam at this stage, said Mehrtens.
We are not aware of an organisation called the New Zealand Banking Association, but the name is very similar to that of the New Zealand Bankers Association.
If the caller appears to have your bank account or credit card details, do not provide them with any information, and contact your bank or credit card provider immediately, said Mehrtens.
If you think you have been scammed, you can report the incident to the Ministry of Consumer Affairs Scamwatch website at https://www.consumeraffairs.govt.nz/report_scam.
ENDS
For further information please contact Philip van Dyk, Communications Director, on 04 802 3354 or 021 242 0428.
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Banks are making moves to update their systems and procedures so switching from one bank to another will be much easier for customers.
When customers want to shift their accounts from one bank to another the most time consuming task has always been the process of transferring over their payment authorities.
Moving payment authorities like automatic payments and direct debits not only requires help from the customer’s new bank but also relies on the cooperation of the old bank to ensure that nothing is missed. In the case of direct debits the Initiator of the payment – the company receiving the money from the customer – also needs to be involved.
To make it easier and faster for banks to act on behalf of switching customers the New Zealand Bankers’ Association’s Electronic Credit Systems Codes and Direct Debit Systems Code are being revised to assist banks in the exchange of payments information.
“The Code and system changes that are being introduced will streamline processes so the changeover can happen faster and more seamlessly behind the scenes – it’s a sensible customer service solution for the electronic age,” said Sarah Mehrtens, Chief Executive of the New Zealand Bankers’ Association.
Craig Foss, National Party MP, who is also Chairperson of Parliament’s Finance and Expenditure Committee, has been in discussions with the Bankers’ Association about removing the hassles of switching banks for customers and commented, “This is good news for bank customers and for competition in New Zealand.”
The New Zealand Bankers’ Association is targeting a December start date for the new, improved bank switching process. Further details will be made available later this year.
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For further information please contact Philip van Dyk, NZBA Senior Adviser, on 04 890 6754 or 021 242 0428, or Craig Foss MP on 021 774 755.
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