Spark phone scam hits Timaru couple in the pocket

A couple say they made a "silly decision" to trust a cold-caller who scammed them out of a significant amount of money.

On Friday morning Timaru pensioners Elizabeth and Stewart Clarkson were duped by a man pretending to be calling about their Spark account.

He told them he needed access to their computer to install software because it had been hacked.

Elizabeth said she was initially sceptical about the call’s legitimacy. However after handing over control of her laptop, she saw something that changed her mind.

"A Spark logo came up and that made me think, ’oh, ok, it is fine because there’s a Spark logo there’."

The man claimed her computer had been hacked multiple times. "To me it sounded as if we really were having a problem. He said they would put on new software that would secure everything.’’

Stewart said he even pretended to "consult his technician" during the call.

The man originally said he would charge just a $15 fee. Elizabeth initially told him she would pay the bill through her Spark account.

However he told her as he was operating through a "different department" he would need another form of payment.

Elizabeth then said she made the "stupid" mistake to give him her husband’s card details. She knew something was up when the logo of Western Union, a money transfer service flashed up on the screen with a dollar figure attached to it.

When she confronted him, the man told her Spark had to pay for the software, but she would be reimbursed.

However at the request to withdraw $2000 from her Kiwibank account and transfer it through Western Union to a Chinese address, Elizabeth hung up.

She immediately rang Spark, who confirmed the call wasn’t connected to them.

The couple then raised a dispute over the payment with Kiwibank and cancelled the cards. Elizabeth said the next time she received such a call, the phone would be going straight back onto the receiver.