14 Aug 2015

Niue's isolation attracts email scammers

7:34 am on 14 August 2015

The police in Niue say email scammers target residents there because of the island's isolation.

The police have received reports of people trying to scam Niueans by emailing them and asking for their personal information, and to send money overseas.

Niue's chief of police, Tony Edwards, says they're asking residents not to reply to the emails, and to report them to police.

He says these types of scams are a common problem in the Pacific.

"Because Niue is an isolated place, it's on its own and its pretty much untouched and so a lot of people would try and use Niue as an access point to doing any criminal activities, and that's one of them."

Tony Edwards says the police have been undergoing awareness programmes through schools and community meetings.

He says to his knowledge, there have not been any reports of anyone on Niue who has lost any money to scam emails.

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Photo: Police