11yo girl approached by lockdown scammer

Scammers pretending to be a popular Kiwi social media influencer are targeting children during lockdown by private messaging them, claiming they have won a prize. 

On Thursday, an 11-year-old Waiuku girl was on Instagram when she was approached in a private message by an account pretending to be popular Kiwi influencer Judah. 

In a private message to the 11-year-old, the fake page claims the young girl has won a pair of Air Jordan shoes or $250. 

The scammers then tell their potential victims to register and “put in your credit card details to claim your prize”. 

The Waiuku girl’s mum, who wished to remain anonymous, told the Herald alarm bells started ringing very quickly. 

“She called me on my walk and said mum, I’ve won a prize. She was really excited so the first thought was if it is real we need to speak to them over the phone. 

“I thought she had entered a competition but she had not. She was the one who had been…