How to identify scams and fake promotions

We’re fortunate that Auckland Zoo is such a trusted and beloved brand. Unfortunately, there are bad actors that can take advantage of this by running fake competitions and prizes online through third party accounts.

The goal of these ‘impersonation scams’ is to harvest sensitive data – like a person’s name, date of birth, address, phone number or email address. This data could be sold to other parties, used to contact you without your permission or to commit identity fraud.

To help keep our community safe, we’ve put together tips on how you can spot whether you’re talking to the Zoo or not. We’ve also included a section that lists some of the Auckland Zoo endorsed competitions that are on offer currently – this includes competitions from our partners or organisations we’re affiliated with.

General tips

Be wary of any pages that claim to be Auckland Zoo that you have not interacted with before. Some key things to look out for are:

• Verification tick – on Facebook and Instagram our Auckland Zoo accounts have a blue verification tick (located on the right-hand side of our account name) and this confirms we’re the official Auckland Zoo. If you see a page without that tick on Facebook or Instagram, you’ll know it’s not us.
• Profile name – often those looking to scam will try variations of our name - Auckland Zoo. In the past, we’ve seen fake pages like ‘Auckland Wildlife Park’ created to trick people into thinking it’s us. 
• Follower count – check the profile of the page running the competition and if you see a very low follower count, this is a sign that the account is very likely not legitimate.
• Websites – If you are redirected to a webpage that asks you to submit your personal details, take a moment to check what the URL (the website address) is and whether it looks like it is from a legitimate organisation or brand. Our website address is www.aucklandzoo.co.nz. 

Competitions and promotions

Throughout the year, Auckland Zoo, our partners and approved organisations may run competitions online. These competitions generally take the form of answering a question or series of questions to go in the draw to win a general admission ticket or membership.

If you see a ‘promotional code’ with an offer for Auckland Zoo and it has not come through our official channels or a trusted community group, it is likely not a legitimate offer.  As the old saying goes, if something seems too good to be true - it probably is. 

This is the list of some Auckland Zoo approved competitions that are currently on offer. If you’ve seen a competition that is not on this list, it may not be approved by the Zoo.

If you believe there is a page impersonating Auckland Zoo and/or listing a fake competition, please let us know. You can DM us on our official social media pages – Facebook, Instagram, TikTok or email us at info@aucklandzoo.co.nz.

You can find more helpful tips on how to keep safe online from Netsafe - netsafe.org.nz/scam-tips.