How to report spam calls and texts in New Zealand

You have just hung up on an obvious scam, or deleted a fake courier text without tapping the link. What now? Reporting it takes a minute or two, and it matters more than most people realise: every report feeds the blocking systems, investigations, and public warnings that protect the next person on the list. New Zealand has clear, free channels for reporting spam calls and texts — here is exactly where each type of report goes.

Forward scam texts to 7726

The fastest and most useful action for any spam or scam text is forwarding it to 7726 (SPAM), free of charge:

1. Long-press the suspicious message in your messaging app and choose Forward.
2. Send it to 7726.
3. You will get a reply explaining how to complete a short report.

The message content and the sender and recipient numbers are shared with the Department of Internal Affairs (Te Tari Taiwhenua) and New Zealand mobile operators. They use this data to investigate scams, block malicious senders, and protect customers across the networks. This one step covers Flubot-style malware texts, fake courier links, prize lures, and aggressive marketing spam alike — report first, delete second.

Report scams to Netsafe

Netsafe (netsafe.org.nz) is New Zealand's online safety organisation and the central place to report scams of every kind — phone calls, texts, emails, websites, and social media:

• Report even if you did not fall for it. Attempt reports help Netsafe track campaigns and warn the public early.
• If you did lose money or share details, Netsafe provides guidance on immediate next steps alongside taking your report.
• Keep the evidence: screenshots of texts, the sender's number, call times, and any links or amounts involved.

Think of Netsafe as the national scam picture: the more complete the reports, the faster new scripts are identified and publicised.

When to contact your bank immediately

Some situations cannot wait for a report form. Call your bank's official number — the one on the back of your card or in your banking app — straight away if you:

• Sent money to a scammer or to a "safe account" at a caller's instruction.
• Read out a one-time code, approved a login you did not initiate, or shared your banking password.
• Entered card or login details on a site reached from a text link.
• Installed an app or remote-access tool at a caller's request.

Ask about freezing accounts and cards, reversing or recalling transfers, and flagging the impersonation attempt on your profile. Then change your passwords from another device and enable two-factor authentication. Speed matters enormously with bank transfers — minutes can decide whether funds are recoverable.

When to involve NZ Police

Report to NZ Police when a scam has caused financial loss, when someone is threatening you, or when you have significant evidence such as payment receipts and account details. Use the non-emergency line 105 (or the online reporting options) unless there is immediate danger, in which case call 111. A police report is often required by banks and insurers for fraud claims, so file one for any meaningful loss even if recovery seems unlikely. Police reporting also builds the intelligence picture that supports larger fraud investigations.

The Commerce Commission and nuisance marketing

Not every unwanted call is a criminal scam. Persistent telemarketing from identifiable New Zealand businesses sits under consumer and marketing law, where the Commerce Commission is the relevant authority:

• Legitimate businesses must honour opt-out requests — replying STOP to genuine marketing texts should stop them.
• Misleading sales tactics, pressure selling, and false claims by local companies can be reported to the Commission.
• Keep a record: the company's name, the number, dates, and what was said.

Separating criminal scams (Netsafe, DIA, Police) from aggressive-but-legal marketing (Commerce Commission) helps each report land where it can actually be acted on.

Report to your carrier too

Your mobile carrier — Spark, One NZ, or 2degrees — wants scam reports as well. Carriers use them to block malicious numbers network-wide and to improve the scam labelling on your phone. Check your carrier's help pages for their current reporting channel, which may include forwarding texts, an online form, or a fraud contact in the app. Carrier-level blocking is one of the few defences that protects even people who never install anything, so every report strengthens a shield that covers millions of customers.

Keep a simple scam-reporting habit

Save yourself decision fatigue with a fixed routine: scam text arrives → forward to 7726 → report to Netsafe if it is a scam → block the sender → delete. Scam call ends → note the number and script → report to Netsafe → block the number. Money or details involved → bank first, then Netsafe, then Police. Two minutes of reporting turns your near-miss into someone else's warning — and the data you send is what makes the whole system smarter.