Police are reminding people to be wary of telephone scammers claiming to work for Spark NZ.

Police are aware of a phone scam by cold callers who say they work for the telecommunication company and request bank account details.

Recent phone calls have originated from Australia (0061) and the United Kingdom (0044).

Dunedin Senior Sergeant Graeme Evans says the police's message on scams is simple – do not engage with anyone on the phone and hang up immediately if you think you are being scammed.

Spark advises there has been an increase in scammers pretending to be from well-known companies like Spark, other telecommunication companies or banks to trick or intimidate people into handing over personal information, or allowing access to their personal computers.

'Spark will never call customers out of the blue to ask for personal details like bank accounts, credit cards or internet banking details or request access to your personal computer or laptop,” says a Spark spokesperson.

Anyone who believes they are a victim of a scam should immediately report it to their bank, and then to their local Police.

Spark can be advised by emailing scamhelp@spark.co.nz .

Furtherinformation about scams can be found at https://www.spark.co.nz/scamalerts