A breakthrough in the rules governing whether people who've been scammed, are eligible for compensation

The banking sector has launched a review around victim reimbursement.

This comes after consumer protection criticism - and the threat of regulatory intervention from government.

Consumer NZ boss Jon Duffy says although there's a level of personal responsibility - people need to stay alert.

He says some of the scams are extremely sophisticated - and those who are falling for them are everyday New Zealanders.