ASB Securities impersonated, scammers suspected of targeting volatile economy

ASB says an impersonation and investment scam currently doing the rounds uses text messages and then an invitation to connect on WhatsApp. The bank said the scam promised “too good to be true” investment opportunities and falsely claimed to be from ASB Securities. The scammers asked potential victims to connect over WhatsApp and other channels, then click on a link to log into their “investments” or bank account.

Brodie Macdonald, ASB GM for fraud and scams, said the scammers seemed to be taking advantage of current market uncertainty. Macdonald said in the current turbulent environment, investments could be front of mind for many people..