New Zealand

Email scam targets new migrants

20:15 pm on 30 July 2015

Migrants are being tricked into handing over their personal details on a scam website that mimics the Immigration New Zealand homepage.

Immigration New Zealand (INZ) says a false email appearing to be from a trusted source invites users to click on a link which directs them to the fake website.

They are then asked to enter personal details into a form as part of a phishing scam.

INZ said the site was a very convincing duplicate, with the only difference being a hyphen in the domain names. It was designed to trick users into handing over their bank account numbers, IRD numbers and even passport details.

The official INZ website is http://www.immigration.govt.nz/ whereas the site involved in the phising scam is http://www.immigration-govt.nz/.

Consumers are being advised to make sure they are using the correct site.

INZ said it was investigating and attempting to have the site taken down as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, it has renewed previous warnings about scam phone calls to migrants demanding money and passport details.

Indian nationals were being targeted and told there had been an issue with their visa or arrival card information, it said.

They are then told to pay money into a Western Union account, and threatened with deportation if they don't comply.

INZ said it never calls people demanding payments, and advises not to pay any money over the phone.

Victims of the scam should hang up and report the call to police immediately, INZ said.