Google, Meta, banks, telcos, Consumer, Netsafe, TCF, all aboard the govt's Anti-Scam Alliance

Commerce and consumer affairs minister Scott Simpson has launched the Anti-Scam Alliance, a joint effort between officialdom, digital service providers, consumer organisations and telcos, set up as the name implies to combat online fraud.

Simpson had on a number of occasions recently hinted that there will be an announcement in the anti-scam space, and the ASA is it. The newly-founded organisation will share information between its members.

“Up until this point New Zealand’s anti-scam efforts have developed in an ad-hoc way and suffered from a lack of coordination. We frequently hear that real-time information on scams is sourced from different areas across government and the private sector, making for a fragmented, and often, slow response," Simpson said in the announcement.

“The Alliance addresses this by establishing a formal structure for government agencies, banks, telecommunications companies, digital platforms sectors, and consumer groups to share data about scams and shut them down in real-time," he added.

ASA's lead coordinating agency is the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE). Listed members include the banks, industry organisation NZ Telecommunications Forum, social network giant Meta, Google NZ, several government agencies including the Police, the Financial Markets Authority, Inland Revenue, the National Cyber Security Centre and the Commerce Commission.

Netsafe, Consumer NZ, and the Banking Ombudsman Scheme are also members, along with the Domain Name Commission, in charge of the .nz country code top level domain. The DNC has been called in to delete .nz domains used by scammers.

Conspiciously absent from the membership listing are online giants Microsoft, Apple, and Amazon.

The organisation expects to have the implementation of its work plan ready to go from January 2026, with agreed principles, roles and responsibilities.

Google imports Aussie Online Scams Code to NZ

On its part, Google said it will implement the Australian Online Scams Code in New Zealand as part of the newly formed Anti-Scam Alliance

The tech giant's country director Caroline Rainsford has formalised the commitment with Simpson.

Google launched Financial Services Verification in New Zealand last year and said it is the only platform implementing financial services advertiser verification across the country.

Using artificial intelligence and human reviews, Google said it has identified three major scam trends currently targeting New Zealand users.

These include scammers increasingly exploiting major events such as end-of-financial-year sales, breaking news, concerts and natural disasters to pressure victims into quick decisions.

Malvertising campaigns target sophisticated users with valuable assets like cryptocurrency wallets or significant online influence, often convincing victims their malicious software is legitimate.

Google said it immediately suspends accounts violating malicious software policies and works with trusted advertisers to prevent malware distribution through advertising networks.

Package tracking and toll road scams are other growing threats, Google said, with fraudulent messages appearing to come from legitimate sources demanding additional fees for deliveries or road usage.

Google said it has deployed scam detection tech in Google Messages, using on-device AI to identify suspicious patterns in SMS, MMS and RCS communications.

"We recognise the importance of working together to create a safer online world for everyone," Rainsford said.

"In addition to the work we do to improve our systems and protect you from scams, including using the latest advancements in AI, we've been partnering closely with industry, community groups and the Government," Rainsford said.

Telcos welcome anti-scam initiative

Simpson and other officials have been asking telcos to come to the party on reducing scams in the country, which the minister said could be behind as much as $2 billion in losses.

The telcos are backing the ASA as well.

"We are very excited to be part of this coordinated response to the issue of frauds and scams, and look forward to working alongside banks and platforms, as well as government agencies in the fight," TCF chief executive Paul Brislen said.

Whether or not any new funding has been made available to the offical anti-scam effort is unclear. Earlier this month, the government's cost-cutting drive saw the Department of Internal Affairs Digital Messaging and Systems anti-scam division restructured and merged with the Countering Violent Online Extremism one, with the loss of two managers.