Netsafe stories

Kiwis lost $5.23 million in the three months from 1 April to 30 June 2021.>>

“Harmful experiences, directly and indirectly, cause physical, financial, and psychological harm, decrease user confidence, and undermine investment in the digital economy and society,” says Netsafe chief Martin Cocker.>>

This Friday May 17 is Pink Shirt Day, which is a colourful way to raise awareness about a serious and in some cases tragic issue: cyberbullying.>>

" This is an issue that isn’t going away. More needs to be done or we will continue to see large numbers of New Zealanders suffering financial and psychological harm,” says Netsafe CEO Martin Cocker.>>

Is this for real? More often than not these days it can be hard to tell, and it’s okay to be a bit suspicious, especially when it comes to fraud.>>

Have you experienced online hate speech? The problem affects New Zealand adults more than you might think.>>

Can you put a dollar figure on the damage cyberbullying causes New Zealanders? One economist says that cost is around $444 million every year.>>

Online abuse, bullying and harassment are continuing to cause harm to New Zealanders nationwide, and more people are reporting incidents to Netsafe.>>

This year Kiwis have lost a staggering $18.6 million to scams, compared to $10.1 million for over the entirety of last year.>>

Netsafe and Spark are on a mission to raise awareness about the dangers of phone and online scams.>>

"We encourage everyone, no matter how digitally savvy they think they are, to improve their knowledge of scams.">>

Netsafe explains why we must change our attitudes to "even if it seems like a reasonable deal, it could still be a scam".>>

Re:scam, an artificially intelligent email programme, is designed to engage scammers in a neverending cycle of conversation.>>

​CERT NZ and Netsafe have both reported a surge in online blackmail incidents.>>

"The service is designed to protect everybody’s rights – to free speech and to participate online without being harassed and abused.">>

They're scammers, they're prolific & they're determined. The only way to stop them is to talk about it, especially with those who are most vulnerable.>>

"As a society, we can’t think about the online world as something that isn’t “real life”. How we behave online can have a huge effect on others.">>

"The wellbeing of our children and young people is essential. Students who are happy and engaged at school are much more likely to be learning.">>

"It’s important schools work with parents and the wider school community to get the message out that bullying is never OK.">>

"A dangerous social media trend has found its way into New Zealand, and schools are going to be one of the best defences against it taking root.">>

Digital citizen are people who understand the rights and responsibilities of inhabiting cyberspace. You may understand; what about your students?>>

“Unfortunately there are scammers targeting New Zealanders via email using the Countdown name and branding and we want to warn consumers.">>

“We need to teach and model appropriate online behaviours, how to keep safe and where to get help if it’s needed.">>

In a sign of how prevalent life online is, 61% of parents revealed that their pre-school children are now getting a daily fix of internet.>>