There are still New Zealanders falling prey to scammers through blithe ignorance. Warnings have been unheard, disregarded or overlooked. $3.8 million. That’s the amount New Zealanders unwittingly give to cyber scammers every single week. And they take it from Kiwi by preying on their kindness, their generosity and human nature.
Special Wellington has used a tactic that can’t be any of these. It’s loud, it’s entertaining, and it is a surprising twist. Special and National Cyber Security Centre’s (NCSC) annual Cyber Smart Week riffs off the ultimate donation mechanic: the Telethon, in a campaign created with media agency, MBM, and Honeymoon Films.
They’ve produced a Scamathon by scammers.
“Scammers appeal to us, to take advantage of us,” explained Bethany Omeri, head of strategy at Special Wellington. “The perception is often that it’s the individual’s own fault for falling victim; but reality is, it’s because scammers use calculated tactics to get into our hearts and wallets.”
Mark Forgan, executive creative director at Special Wellington, added, “The Scamathon wraps the sinister scale of this issue behind a sickly sweet veneer. Darkly highlighting how scammers prey on our willingness to give, give, give.”
The scammy spectacle played out over the course of a week, taking over broadcast, social feeds, digital and outdoor. Each day saw the release of more all-singing, all-dancing, all-scamming content, as Scammers appealed from the bottom of their heartless hearts to help them reach their goal. Dynamic tickers across digital and LUMO outdoor ticked up every single second, tracking their progress in real time.
Kaitlin Mitchell, Business Director at MBM, stated, “Every touchpoint was designed to make you feel like you were tuning back into The Scamathon in real time: making it an unmissable event, and an unmissable message.”
Penny Tunnicliffe, campaigns manager at NCSC, added, “Online protections like strong passwords and two-factor authentication are something people have heard time and time again, but often don’t implement because they think they wouldn’t fall for a scam. The Scamathon gave us a bold way to bring to life an unsettling truth – that everyone’s kindness, busyness and willingness to please is being preyed upon. And that without the right online protections, The Scamathon will keep going on and on.”
The weeklong event was brought to life by Honeymoon Films at the home of New Zealand’s original telethon, Avalon Studios.
Director, Louis Sutherland, explained, “The unique challenge of this project was in crafting executions that simultaneously worked hard on their own, but also built towards a compelling arc that evolved over the course of the week. Infused with our real-life experiences of being scammed, dark humor blends with a sharp social commentary on the manipulation tactics scammers use. Having Avalon Studios onboard to give us access to the original Telethon studio added massively to the authenticity and scale.”
Matt Barnes, lead business partner at Special Wellington, added “Scamathon week drew plenty of attention to this important cause, with a record number of organisations getting involved by Tuesday November 5, sharing resources to protect businesses and individuals alike. I’d say bring on Scamathon 2025 – but hopefully this works its socks off to stop it in its tracks.”
Credits:
Creative Agency: Special Wellington
Media: MBM
Production: Honeymoon Films
Director: Louis Sutherland
Executive Producer: Breigh Sutherland
DOP: Marty Williams
First AD: Sarah Bicknell
PM: Carly Breytenbach
Editor: Nathan Hickey
Production Designer: Benjamin Milsom
Wardrobe: Sheshe Weir
Sound Design: Chris Ward
Composition: Joe Callwood
Colour & Online: Gareth Evans, Kyle Awa
VFX: Tim Hamilton
