Indian students living in New Zealand are being targeted by callers posing as immigration officials demanding thousands of dollars, prompting authorities to warn Indians not to fall into their trap.
The scammers use a practice known as “caller ID spoofing” to make it appear as though they are calling from an official government department number. The callers claim to be calling from Immigration New Zealand and tell the person there has been a problem with the processing of their visa or arrival card information.
They then demand money be paid into a Western Union account in India, The New Zealand Herald reported.
The callers were aggressive and authoritative, said the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment, and often had details about the person they were speaking to, which made the call seem genuine.
Over a <g data-gr-id="22">lakh</g> Indian-origin people are residing in New Zealand. Saritha Annapureddy, an Indian lost almost all her savings after being scammed out of more than $4,000, it reported.
“Initially when I received the call I thought it’s a fake call. I mean some friend is playing <g data-gr-id="20">prank</g> with me,” she said.
The call was from someone pretending to be from Immigration New Zealand, and Annapureddy was told she had not filled in her arrival card incorrectly and had to pay fees or be deported immediately.