13 December 2024 

As we check off the last few presents on our shopping lists, we’d like to remind you all to stay safe online this festive season if purchasing firearms and ammunition. 

Exercise caution when shopping from online firearms retailers that are unknown to you, as no one is immune to scams or sites looking to take advantage of people – especially to gain access to your credit card or bank account numbers. 

When you shop online, here are some simple things you can do to check for a scam:

• Does the website look genuine? Bad spelling and grammar, or a URL that doesn’t seem to match what‘s being sold, can indicate a website is not genuine. 
• Check feedback left by previous customers and online reviews. If there is no feedback, this may be a sign. If you’re using a website you haven’t used before, look for reviews to see if they have any negative feedback. 
• Is the price too good to be true? If the prices being offered are lower than you would expect find elsewhere, consider the possibility it’s a scam.
• Pause before you hit pay! To shop safely online you really need to know the seller is who they say they are. Do you know enough about the seller/website you are about to use? 

If you come across any firearms retail sites that you are suspicious, or you think you have been involved in a scam, you can:

Report scams: CERT NZ - Report an incident or contact Netsafe: Report Harmful Scams

Report money lost in a scam: 105 (Ten-Five) Information — New Zealand Police

Report scam texts or email: How to report scams — Department of Internal Affairs

You can find out more about reporting scams on this useful NZ Police factsheet: Where to report spam and scam