With Wellington now in Covid-19 Delta level 2 and to stay safe, Stratus advisers and staff are working a blend of at home and at office.\u00a0 We can take calls but if your question is not of an urgent nature, we wonder if an email can assist \u2013 all Stratus Team emails are found via www.stratusnz.nz.\u00a0 We can transfer calls but advisers may be living in an area with intermittent call coverage or on a client meeting via online (Zoom etc).\u00a0 Advisers may be able to call you back so please leave your name & number with our team if an email doesn\u2019t suit.\u00a0 Online meetings are proving very useful, using Zoom or Microsoft teams, especially where you & our adviser are known to each other so we continue to review\/support clients.\u00a0 We hope you are safe with your family and colleagues \u2013 do contact us if we can assist.<\/p>\n
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You may have seen our recent reposting of the Financial Markets Authority (FMA) scam alert on our social media.<\/p>\n
COVID-19 lockdowns contribute to our need for online human connection and, unfortunately, this has created more opportunities for scammers. Many people are feeling more vulnerable and the invitation to engage with another human can be difficult to resist.<\/p>\n
What\u2019s more, scammers are getting smarter; they are often professional and convincing. And scams can catch anyone off-guard.<\/p>\n
Some warning signs of a scam include:<\/p>\n
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The good news is there are things you can do to protect yourself against scams.<\/p>\n
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Below are some websites you can go to for more information on scams<\/p>\n
https:\/\/www.fma.govt.nz\/investors\/scams\/<\/a><\/p>\n https:\/\/www.netsafe.org.nz<\/a><\/p>\n https:\/\/www.consumerprotection.govt.nz\/general-help\/scamwatch<\/a><\/p>\n