Does the Minister agree with the call by financial crime specialist Gabby Lewis for greater regulation of social media and telco companies to address the risk of organized cybercrime syndicates targeting New Zealand?

Answer

Reducing exposure to scams is important. Regulation is one way to address the risk of organised cybercrime syndicates targeting New Zealand, but it is not the only way. I look forward to working with my Ministerial colleagues in the Justice and Police portfolios to continue to address this risk. I am proud of the work that Anti-Scam Alliance is doing under this Government’s leadership to reduce New Zealanders' exposure to scams. This work includes the launch of the Online Scams Code in March and work by Meta and New Zealand Police to take down scam centres in Thailand.