What Pay Equity Has To Do With Ending Sexual Violence
Unequal pay, insecure work, and economic dependence don't just create hardship. They create conditions where violence can thrive, and where survivors are forced to choose between safety and survival. More >>
Wellington Rape Crisis Popup Service in Newtown
Thursday, 7 June 2018, 11:29 am | Wellington Rape Crisis
Wellington Rape Crisis is excited to be offering Whanau Manaaki, a pop up drop-in service to family and friends of survivors of sexual harm in Newtown Mall, every Thursday, from the 7th of June to the 30th of August. More >>
Wellington Rape Crisis launches its 2018 Annual Appeal
Monday, 26 February 2018, 5:21 pm | Wellington Rape Crisis
Wellington Rape Crisis will hold its annual appeal this week, with street collectors throughout Wellington on Friday 2nd March and Saturday 3rd March. More >>
Wellington Rape Crisis launches its Annual Appeal
Tuesday, 28 March 2017, 10:35 am | Wellington Rape Crisis
Wellington Rape Crisis' annual appeal is happening this week, with street collectors raising money on 30th March and sponsor events running through the week. More >>
Speak Easy - A night of performance poetry and burlesque
Tuesday, 5 July 2016, 9:53 am | Wellington Rape Crisis
Speak Easy is a performance poetry and burlesque fundraiser show to raise money for Wellington Rape Crisis. It will feature some of Wellington's best poets, storytellers and burlesque performers all coming together under one roof, 8pm July 16th at The ... More >>
Wellington Rape Crisis launches its Annual Appeal
Tuesday, 29 March 2016, 12:38 pm | Wellington Rape Crisis
Wellington Rape Crisis' annual appeal is happening this week, with street collectors raising money on 31 March and sponsor events running through the week. More >>
Wellington Rape Crisis condemns pro-rape meetup
Tuesday, 2 February 2016, 10:14 am | Wellington Rape Crisis
Wellington Rape Crisis condemns pro-rape meetup and asks men to stand up to abuse More >>
Time to take action over sexual violence
Wednesday, 16 December 2015, 3:06 pm | Wellington Rape Crisis
It is time for the government to take action to support the sexual violence sector, say key agencies for survivors in Wellington. More >>
Wellington Rape Crisis launches its Annual Appeal
Monday, 4 May 2015, 9:13 am | Wellington Rape Crisis
Wellington Rape Crisis will hold its annual appeal this week, with street collectors throughout Wellington on Thursday 7 May and Saturday 9 May. More >>
Sexual violence threats toward Taranaki journalist
Monday, 26 January 2015, 1:15 pm | Wellington Rape Crisis
Wellington Rape Crisis agency manager Eleanor Butterworth says, 'the sense of anonymity that people seem to feel when using forums like Facebook, Twitter and blogging has come with it a disturbing shift in what is considered normal when it comes to the ... More >>
Rape Crisis calls for changes to criminal justice system
Thursday, 30 October 2014, 12:11 pm | Wellington Rape Crisis
Wellington Rape Crisis has added its voice to the public outcry following the announcement that there will be no charges in the teen rape gang case. Butterworth says the decision not to lay charges will not have been a surprise for many who work in this area, ... More >>
Universities must do more to stop sexual abuse of students
Wednesday, 8 October 2014, 1:40 pm | Wellington Rape Crisis
Universities must do more in response to the abuse of their female students on social media, after another exploitative Facebook group has been discovered, says Wellington Rape Crisis. More >>
Wellington Rape Crisis launches appeal week
Monday, 31 March 2014, 3:09 pm | Wellington Rape Crisis
Today Wellington Rape Crisis launches its annual appeal week that will see the service taking part in seven days of awareness raising and fundraising, culminating in their annual street appeal on Friday the 4th of April. More >>
Wellington Rape Crisis statement on Roastbusters and police
Thursday, 7 November 2013, 1:11 pm | Wellington Rape Crisis
Wellington Rape Crisis (WRC) has been overwhelmed with messages of outrage from members of the public about the group of Auckland rapists calling themselves 'Roast Busters', as well as about subsequent media coverage. Concern for survivors of these rapes ... More >>
Call for Herald to apologise for articles
Wednesday, 2 October 2013, 4:24 pm | Wellington Rape Crisis
The agency Wellington Rape Crisis is calling on the NZ Herald to cease the publication of articles that contribute to rape culture and to apologise for the damage done to survivors of rape and sexual assault. More >>
People urged to submit to select committee inquiry
Monday, 23 September 2013, 5:06 pm | Wellington Rape Crisis
Wellington Rape Crisis (WRC) is urging as many people and organisations as possible to submit to the Social Services Select Committee Inquiry on Funding for Sexual Abuse Services. Submissions close on Thursday 10 October 2013. More >>
Panel Discussion on Rape Culture featuring Louise Nicholas
Thursday, 11 April 2013, 5:21 pm | Wellington Rape Crisis
Wellington Rape Crisis (WRC) is hosting a discussion panel about rape culture and the effect that rape myths have on both the criminal justice system and survivors of sexual violence. This is a members event (non members can join on the door). More >>
Wellington Rape Crisis joins call to end global violence
Tuesday, 12 February 2013, 11:28 am | Wellington Rape Crisis
On Thursday 14th February, Wellington Rape Crisis will support One Billion Rising Wellington, part of a global movement calling for an end to violence against women and girls. More >>
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scoop
20 hours ago
- Scoop
Gen Threat Report Reveals Rise In Crypto, Sextortion And Tech Support Scams In An AI-Powered World
Press Release – Gen Cryptocurrency scams are fraudulent schemes where scammers trick people into sending digital currency or sharing sensitive login information. These scams often involve fake investment opportunities, impersonation of trusted figures, or emotional manipulation … Gen (NASDAQ: GEN), a global leader powering Digital Freedom with a family of trusted brands including Norton, Avast, LifeLock, MoneyLion and more, today released its Q2/2025 Gen Threat Report. This quarter was marked by the takedown of the first known ransomware developed using AI, and globally, a 21% growth in data breaches and a 340% increase in financial scams. The team of Gen researchers also found a 100% increase in sextortion scams and a surge in Tech Support Scams spreading through Facebook. New Zealand's top threats in Q2/2025 were: · Malvertising · Scams (phishing, generic scams, E-shop scams, dating scams) 'This quarter's global trends reveal a troubling surge in cyber threats, from AI-powered ransomware to cryptocurrency scams and sextortion,' said Mark Gorrie, Managing Director APAC for Gen Digital. 'With the rise of AI and widespread data breaches, scams have become faster, more personalised, and harder to spot. New Zealand is not immune to these trends.' Weaker economy might fuel the rise in crypto and financial scams Generally, crypto scams have been on the rise almost everywhere. In Q2/2025, blocked attacks jumped from thousands to millions globally, with June marking the sharpest spike. Globally, the risk of being targeted by crypto scams increased by 69,508% in Q2. New Zealand experienced an even sharper rise at 77,721%, which indicates heightened risk well above the global average. 'In a weaker economy, people facing financial uncertainty are increasingly drawn to quick fixes like crypto, creating fertile ground for scammers to exploit,' said Gorrie. Cryptocurrency scams are fraudulent schemes where scammers trick people into sending digital currency or sharing sensitive login information. These scams often involve fake investment opportunities, impersonation of trusted figures, or emotional manipulation through romance scams. The anonymous and irreversible nature of crypto transactions makes it harder to recover lost funds. Globally, financial scams jumped 340% in Q2/2025, with many traced back to deceptive ads and fake pages on Facebook. Scammers used everything from deepfake videos to chatbot forms to collect personal and financial data, often under the guise of legal help or investment offers. New Zealand among top 20 countries at risk of sextortion In New Zealand, sextortion scams surged by 170% in Q2, significantly higher than the global average increase of 100%, pushing New Zealand to #19 on the list of the top 20 most at-risk countries. The top 20 sextortion countries by risk ratio includes Japan, Czechia, Croatia, Singapore, Cyprus, Hong Kong, South Africa, Slovenia, Italy, Switzerland, Austria, Israel, Australia, Canada, Greece, Maldives, Cabo Verde, United Arab Emirates (the), New Zealand, Curaçao, highlighting how widespread and borderless the threat has become. Criminals are refining their tactics, thanks to the help of AI and a wealth of personal data available from recent large-scale breaches. One of the latest techniques used by cybercriminals involves Google Maps and is designed to employ a more invasive and personalised approach that can really shock and intimidate their victims into complying with demands. Criminals – utilising names, addresses, and emails readily available on the Dark Web due to data breaches – can create targeted emails to victims containing fabricated footage and unsettling information and images of their real homes. Push notifications and Facebook tech support scams flourishing In Q2/2025, the report reveals that globally, 14% of all blocked Facebook threats were linked to Technical Support Scams, a sharp rise driven by fake Messenger-style pages that locked browsers and pushed users to call fake help lines. Facebook's reach and ad infrastructure continue to make it a powerful tool for fraud at scale. In New Zealand, there was a 278% spike in malicious push notifications, often disguised as video players or system alerts. These deceptive pop-ups trick users into clicking, leading them to phishing sites or triggering unwanted downloads, a tactic increasingly used to spread scams and malware. 'Scammers are counting on panic clicks; they exploit the split second where you react before you think. And that single click can take a person straight to a scammer's doorstep,' Gorrie explained. 'If an alert feels aggressive or off, trust your instincts and double-check through your antivirus software directly, and avoid giving notification permissions to untrusted websites.' Beating the bots: Gen cracks AI-powered ransomware Gen continues to uphold its commitment to help victims of ransomware, uncovering a critical cryptographic flaw in FunkSec. This was the first known ransomware strain partially built using generative AI. While the malware successfully encrypted data and demanded payment, the Gen research team worked quietly with law enforcement to help victims recover their files without paying via a free decryptor released by Avast. FunkSec has since gone quiet. Other key global highlights from the report include: · +21% increase in data breach events, with the number of breached emails increasing by nearly 16%. · Lumma Stealer remained active post-takedown, using a fresh infrastructure to continue data exfiltration. · +317% spike in malicious push notifications, often disguised as video players or system alerts. · +62% rise in remote access attacks, led by the return of Wincir RAT and abuse of cloud services like OneDrive. · DealPly adware, a threat that has been steadily declining, was revived with a focus on the US, Brazil, France and India. · A target on small businesses with infostealers, exploits, and remote access tools. Scams remained the top threat to small businesses. Gen's family of trusted brand is always focused on keeping people's digital lives safe and protecting against scams – the very scams mentioned in this report – through solutions such as the newly added Scam Guardian feature in Avast Free Antivirus and Avast Premium Security to protect people from scams before they even spot them. Norton Genie within the Norton lineup is also an extra layer of scam protection on desktop and mobile. For identity threats, LifeLock helps keep people covered in the event of a breach or data exposure. About Gen Gen (NASDAQ: GEN) is a global company dedicated to powering Digital Freedom through its trusted consumer brands including Norton, Avast, LifeLock, MoneyLion and more. The Gen family of consumer brands is rooted in providing financial empowerment and cyber safety for the first digital generations. Today, Gen empowers people to live their digital lives safely, privately and confidently for generations to come. Gen brings award-winning products and services in cybersecurity, online privacy, identity protection and financial wellness to nearly 500 million users in more than 150 countries. Learn more at
Scoop
20 hours ago
- Scoop
Gen Threat Report Reveals Rise In Crypto, Sextortion And Tech Support Scams In An AI-Powered World
Gen (NASDAQ: GEN), a global leader powering Digital Freedom with a family of trusted brands including Norton, Avast, LifeLock, MoneyLion and more, today released its Q2/2025 Gen Threat Report. This quarter was marked by the takedown of the first known ransomware developed using AI, and globally, a 21% growth in data breaches and a 340% increase in financial scams. The team of Gen researchers also found a 100% increase in sextortion scams and a surge in Tech Support Scams spreading through Facebook. New Zealand's top threats in Q2/2025 were: · Malvertising · Scams (phishing, generic scams, E-shop scams, dating scams) 'This quarter's global trends reveal a troubling surge in cyber threats, from AI-powered ransomware to cryptocurrency scams and sextortion,' said Mark Gorrie, Managing Director APAC for Gen Digital. 'With the rise of AI and widespread data breaches, scams have become faster, more personalised, and harder to spot. New Zealand is not immune to these trends.' Weaker economy might fuel the rise in crypto and financial scams Generally, crypto scams have been on the rise almost everywhere. In Q2/2025, blocked attacks jumped from thousands to millions globally, with June marking the sharpest spike. Globally, the risk of being targeted by crypto scams increased by 69,508% in Q2. New Zealand experienced an even sharper rise at 77,721%, which indicates heightened risk well above the global average. 'In a weaker economy, people facing financial uncertainty are increasingly drawn to quick fixes like crypto, creating fertile ground for scammers to exploit,' said Gorrie. Cryptocurrency scams are fraudulent schemes where scammers trick people into sending digital currency or sharing sensitive login information. These scams often involve fake investment opportunities, impersonation of trusted figures, or emotional manipulation through romance scams. The anonymous and irreversible nature of crypto transactions makes it harder to recover lost funds. Globally, financial scams jumped 340% in Q2/2025, with many traced back to deceptive ads and fake pages on Facebook. Scammers used everything from deepfake videos to chatbot forms to collect personal and financial data, often under the guise of legal help or investment offers. New Zealand among top 20 countries at risk of sextortion In New Zealand, sextortion scams surged by 170% in Q2, significantly higher than the global average increase of 100%, pushing New Zealand to #19 on the list of the top 20 most at-risk countries. The top 20 sextortion countries by risk ratio includes Japan, Czechia, Croatia, Singapore, Cyprus, Hong Kong, South Africa, Slovenia, Italy, Switzerland, Austria, Israel, Australia, Canada, Greece, Maldives, Cabo Verde, United Arab Emirates (the), New Zealand, Curaçao, highlighting how widespread and borderless the threat has become. Criminals are refining their tactics, thanks to the help of AI and a wealth of personal data available from recent large-scale breaches. One of the latest techniques used by cybercriminals involves Google Maps and is designed to employ a more invasive and personalised approach that can really shock and intimidate their victims into complying with demands. Criminals – utilising names, addresses, and emails readily available on the Dark Web due to data breaches – can create targeted emails to victims containing fabricated footage and unsettling information and images of their real homes. Push notifications and Facebook tech support scams flourishing In Q2/2025, the report reveals that globally, 14% of all blocked Facebook threats were linked to Technical Support Scams, a sharp rise driven by fake Messenger-style pages that locked browsers and pushed users to call fake help lines. Facebook's reach and ad infrastructure continue to make it a powerful tool for fraud at scale. In New Zealand, there was a 278% spike in malicious push notifications, often disguised as video players or system alerts. These deceptive pop-ups trick users into clicking, leading them to phishing sites or triggering unwanted downloads, a tactic increasingly used to spread scams and malware. 'Scammers are counting on panic clicks; they exploit the split second where you react before you think. And that single click can take a person straight to a scammer's doorstep,' Gorrie explained. 'If an alert feels aggressive or off, trust your instincts and double-check through your antivirus software directly, and avoid giving notification permissions to untrusted websites.' Beating the bots: Gen cracks AI-powered ransomware Gen continues to uphold its commitment to help victims of ransomware, uncovering a critical cryptographic flaw in FunkSec. This was the first known ransomware strain partially built using generative AI. While the malware successfully encrypted data and demanded payment, the Gen research team worked quietly with law enforcement to help victims recover their files without paying via a free decryptor released by Avast. FunkSec has since gone quiet. Other key global highlights from the report include: · +21% increase in data breach events, with the number of breached emails increasing by nearly 16%. · Lumma Stealer remained active post-takedown, using a fresh infrastructure to continue data exfiltration. · +317% spike in malicious push notifications, often disguised as video players or system alerts. · +62% rise in remote access attacks, led by the return of Wincir RAT and abuse of cloud services like OneDrive. · DealPly adware, a threat that has been steadily declining, was revived with a focus on the US, Brazil, France and India. · A target on small businesses with infostealers, exploits, and remote access tools. Scams remained the top threat to small businesses. Gen's family of trusted brand is always focused on keeping people's digital lives safe and protecting against scams – the very scams mentioned in this report – through solutions such as the newly added Scam Guardian feature in Avast Free Antivirus and Avast Premium Security to protect people from scams before they even spot them. Norton Genie within the Norton lineup is also an extra layer of scam protection on desktop and mobile. For identity threats, LifeLock helps keep people covered in the event of a breach or data exposure. About Gen Gen (NASDAQ: GEN) is a global company dedicated to powering Digital Freedom through its trusted consumer brands including Norton, Avast, LifeLock, MoneyLion and more. The Gen family of consumer brands is rooted in providing financial empowerment and cyber safety for the first digital generations. Today, Gen empowers people to live their digital lives safely, privately and confidently for generations to come. Gen brings award-winning products and services in cybersecurity, online privacy, identity protection and financial wellness to nearly 500 million users in more than 150 countries. Learn more at
Techday NZ
21 hours ago
- Techday NZ
Cyber scams soar in New Zealand as AI & crypto drive threats
Gen's latest threat report for the second quarter of 2025 details a significant surge in cyber threats ranging from cryptocurrency scams to sextortion and data breaches across both global and New Zealand contexts. The analysis, compiled by Gen's team of cybersecurity researchers, recorded a substantial year-on-year increase in scams and malicious activity, suggesting that both criminal tactics and the scale of potential harm are evolving, largely fuelled by economic pressure and the availability of AI-powered tools. Crypto scams and economic uncertainty According to Gen, crypto scams have become an area of particular concern, with blocked attacks rising from thousands to millions within a few short months. The reported increase was 69,508% globally, with New Zealand experiencing an even sharper uptick of 77,721%, markedly above the worldwide average. "This quarter's global trends reveal a troubling surge in cyber threats, from AI-powered ransomware to cryptocurrency scams and sextortion," said Mark Gorrie, Managing Director APAC for Gen Digital. "With the rise of AI and widespread data breaches, scams have become faster, more personalised, and harder to spot. New Zealand is not immune to these trends." Gorrie added, "In a weaker economy, people facing financial uncertainty are increasingly drawn to quick fixes like crypto, creating fertile ground for scammers to exploit." Sextortion and personalisation The report highlights a 170% rise in sextortion scams within New Zealand during Q2/2025, compared to a 100% global increase. New Zealand now ranks 19th on Gen's list of the top 20 countries most at risk of sextortion. This list spans a diverse range of affected countries, including Japan, Czechia, Singapore, and South Africa. Sextortion scams typically involve criminals threatening to release compromising content unless a ransom, often in cryptocurrency, is paid. Recent tactics reportedly include the use of personal data harvested from major breaches, along with the manipulation of services such as Google Maps to make threats appear more credible and invasive. Attackers have used actual names, addresses, and email addresses to heighten victims' anxiety and pressure them into complying with demands. Facebook and technical support scams Elsewhere, the report identified a significant rise in scams exploiting social media. Worldwide, 14% of blocked Facebook-related threats in Q2/2025 were tied to so-called Technical Support Scams. These frequently present as fake Messenger-style pages that attempt to lock browsers and prompt users to call fraudulent help lines, leveraging Facebook's global reach and advertising platform for scalability. Push notifications and phishing In New Zealand, there was a 278% rise in malicious push notifications during the quarter. These deceptive pop-ups, often disguised as system alerts or video players, direct users to phishing websites or trigger unwanted downloads. The tactic is being increasingly employed to lure users into scams or malware installations. "Scammers are counting on panic clicks; they exploit the split second where you react before you think. And that single click can take a person straight to a scammer's doorstep," Gorrie explained. "If an alert feels aggressive or off, trust your instincts and double-check through your antivirus software directly, and avoid giving notification permissions to untrusted websites." AI involvement and ransomware Gen also revealed that Q2/2025 saw the takedown of the first known ransomware strain built with the assistance of generative AI. The malware, named FunkSec, managed to encrypt data and demand payment, but Gen's research team was able to discover a cryptographic flaw and, in coordination with law enforcement, help victims restore their files without payment using a free decryptor issued by Avast. Since this intervention, there has been no reported activity from the FunkSec group. Other key findings The global threat landscape continues to expand, as highlighted by a 21% rise in data breach events, and almost a 16% increase in breached email addresses. The report also notes that financial scams climbed by 340% and that small businesses continue to be vulnerable to infostealers, exploits, and remote access attacks. Of particular concern is the resurgence of older threats such as DealPly adware in markets including the United States, Brazil, France, and India. Malvertising and various scam types - especially phishing, generic scams, and e-shop or dating scams - ranked among New Zealand's top threats for the quarter. Remote access attacks grew by 62% and malicious push notifications spiked by 317% globally, indicating a broadening portfolio of tactics used by cybercriminals. Efforts to counter these risks are ongoing, with Gen's researchers continuing to collaborate on threat mitigation tools and public awareness campaigns.
