Police are warning the public to be suspicious of "aggressive and persistent" scammers cold-calling and threatening people over alleged tax evasion.
It's the latest phone scam in which callers claim they're from Immigration New Zealand and tell the person they're wanted for not paying their taxes, threatening deportation.
They then demand payment of Apple iTunes cards.
Police say it appears Indian nationals are the targets and there have been reports of the scam across the country, including the Tasman district.
"The callers are persistent and aggressive," says Counties Manukau District prevention manager Inspector Dave Glossop.
"They have personal details of the person they are scamming, which could make the call sound genuine."
The caller ID may appear to come from Immigration NZ and also from an 04 or 09 prefix.
The scam seems to have had some success, with police noting several cases in which people have bought between $500 and $5000 worth of iTunes vouchers in response to the calls.
Insp Glossop says no government agency, including Immigration or Inland Revenue, would ever call, email or text demanding payment or threatening deportation.
Banks would never ask for online passwords, nor would any agency use money transfer services such as Western Union, he adds.
He warns people to hang up immediately if they feel they're being targeted and to warn others if it happens to them.
Newshub.
