PremiumOpinionOpinion byHannah McQueenNZ Herald·30 Jun, 2026 07:00 PM6 mins to readNetsafe data shows 645 romance scams were reported in New Zealand in the two years to March 2024. Six in ten 10 victims were women. Anita’s mum sold her jewellery and wedding ring, still convinced her ‘boyfriend’ is real. She is far from alone. Anita Gatley’s mother is 78 years old, recently widowed, and living in a retirement village north of Auckland. She is smart, social, and fiercely independent.
Over the past 18 months,
