Scammers Are Faking Your Bank's Phone Number — Don't Be Fooled

A new scam is actively targeting New Zealanders right now, and it's particularly convincing because the caller appears to be ringing from your actual bank's real phone number. ANZ has confirmed that scammers are making cold calls to customers while making their number appear to be a genuine ANZ contact number — in some cases matching numbers listed on ANZ's official website. Callers may even encourage you to search the number online to convince you the call is legitimate. The critical thing to understand: the number on your screen can be faked. Just because it matches your bank's real number doesn't mean the call is really from them. What these scammers are after: They may have access to some of your personal details, and often create a sense of urgency or fear to pressure you into acting quickly. They'll typically ask for your Internet Banking login details, your card details, two-factor authentication codes, or try to convince you to transfer money to a "safe" account, buy gift cards, or allow remote access to your device. Your bank will never ask for any of these things. Not by phone, not by text, not by email — ever. What to do if you get one of these calls: Don't give them anything — no passwords, no codes, no card numbers Hang up, even if they sound completely genuine Call your bank back yourself using the number on the back of your card or on their official website — never the number the caller gives you If you're an ANZ customer, ask any caller claiming to be from ANZ to verify themselves using ANZ Caller Check through your goMoney app — a genuine ANZ staff member can do this, a scammer cannot Not sure if a call was real? Just describe it to Helen — she can help you work out whether it sounds like a genuine call or a scam, and tell you what to do next. Source: ANZ New Zealand, August 2026