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Does the Minister agree with Juha Saarinen in interest.co.nz that responding to industrial scale-scamming operations from overseas by "blocking suspicious domains and freezing mule accounts could prove little more than plugging leaks in a badly fractured dam", and if so, what additional Government policies or laws is he considering introducing?

Answered Question 12858 (2026)
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Asked by

Arena Williams

Member for Manurewa · Labour Party

Question

  • Does the Minister agree with Juha Saarinen in interest.co.nz that responding to industrial scale-scamming operations from overseas by "blocking suspicious domains and freezing mule accounts could prove little more than plugging leaks in a badly fractured dam", and if so, what additional Government policies or laws is he considering introducing?

Answered by

Cameron Brewer

Member for Upper Harbour · National Party · Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs

Answer

I look forward to continuing the work of the Anti-Scam Alliance to strengthen New Zealand’s response to scams. I am currently considering my priorities for the portfolio including in relation to any additional Government policies or laws. Last year, the Government announced a new legal protection, known as a safe harbour, for online service providers that take reasonable, good faith steps to disrupt suspected scams. This change will be included in a forthcoming Fair Trading Amendment Bill.