17 Nov 2013

$21,000 paid in immigration scams

5:31 am on 17 November 2013

Two immigration scams have netted more than $21,000 from people wanting to live and work in New Zealand.

Immigration New Zealand says in the first scam, 13 people, most of them working at hospitals in India, were offered fake jobs at a Southern Cross Hospital in Wellington.

Eight people were tricked into sending the fraudsters $12,254 after being told an agent would arrange working visas for them.

In the second scam, immigrants already in New Zealand were told there was a problem with their visas or arrival cards, and to send money to a Western Union account or face serious consequences, including deportation. Six people lost a total of $8,960.

Immigration New Zealand says it has referred the cases to the police.