An immigration advisor in Samoa is urging people to check the credentials of people advertising to help people migrate to New Zealand.
Roberta Tiatia works for Immigration New Zealand but her certification requires constant upskilling to keep up to date with policy.
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She said uncertified people were giving out false information and in some cases charging thousands of dollars.
Ms Tiatia said a number of people come to see her only after they'd paid money to someone else who never delivered.
"Yeah there are still people giving advice and charging fees and not so good advice and I get a lot people who are coming through here who have gone to whoever and been given the wrong advice. We get people coming through every year and its not cheap and we also have to do professional development to keep us up to scratch with everything to do with immigration."
Ms Tiatia urged people to do their own research first, and to lodge formal complaints against anyone who gave incorrect advice.
She said the Immigration Advisers Authority or IAA, who are responsible for issuing licenses to advisers and handling complaints, visited Samoa earlier this year to try to build awareness around the issue.
