The Treasury is aware of a scam letter circulating via email to individuals, claiming to be from the Treasury.
The letter claims the sender requires assistance with verifying a recent loan transaction, in order to comply with the Anti-Money Laundering Act. Upon verification, the letter claims recipients will receive a large sum of money.
The letter asks recipients to promptly send their personal banking documentation to verify they are able to receive the stated loan amount.
The letter is branded with logos that mimic the Treasury and New Zealand Security Intelligence Service logos.
This email and letter is a scam and anyone who receives it should not reply under any circumstances.
While the nature and specific details of scams often varies, it’s important to note that the Treasury and other government agencies will never contact you out of the blue asking for any personal banking details.
Anyone who receives this email can either forward the spam email to the Department of Internal Affairs directly at [email protected] or use their online reporting portal (https://www.reportspam.co.nz/).
Criminal offences in relation to a scam can be reported to the Police by calling 105 or reporting it via the 105 website. More information on scams and fraud can be found on the Police website here: Scams and fraud | New Zealand Police
Thank you to the recipients of this scam who have brought this to our attention and reported it to the Police.
The Treasury recommends taking a cautious approach to unsolicited emails. Trust your gut instinct – if it doesn’t feel right, it probably isn’t.
Information on other scams currently operating can be found on the Consumer Protection NZ website: http://www.consumerprotection.govt.nz/general-help/scamwatch
Consumer Protection NZ, along with Netsafe, also provides helpful advice about keeping safe online.