Scammers exploiting the Toitū Te Tiriti movement have targeted Māori designers, including Aroha Tamihana of Maimoa Creative. After releasing a free Toitū te Tiriti template for Waitangi Day, Tamihana discovered her work was being sold for profit. Despite the scam site's professional appearance, red flags like a nonsensical pepeha and fake social media profiles alerted her to the fraud. Tamihana emphasises the growing sophistication of scams, urging vigilance beyond obvious errors. Her experience with threatening responses from the fraudulent site hasn't deterred her commitment to offering free resources, reinforcing the need for consumers to research and verify before purchasing.
