File photo. Photo: Jae Park/ Unsplash
Authorities are warning people against a text scam in which fraudsters masquerade as the police.
The text tried to get recipients to click on a link that looked similar to the official New Zealand police website, but was fake.
A police spokesperson said anyone who received this text should not respond, but instead report it to the Department of Internal Affairs.
"This is a scam and anyone who receives it should not respond under any circumstances," the spokesperson said in a statement.
The police would never contact anyone out of the blue with an embedded link for enforcement reasons.
The warning follows a similar text message scam circulating at present, which impersonates legitimate agencies such as Waka Kotahi, NZ Post, Inland Revenue or a bank.
The texs were often sent by a number with either a 64 or 61 prefix at the beginning - country codes for New Zealand and Australia.
They encourage recipients to click on a link and pay a bill or road toll, sometimes to collect a cash prize.
Department of Internal Affairs deputy director of operations John Michael told RNZ the scam was "really widespread" and concerning.
There had been 140,000 complaints since November last year, Michael said, and many of those targeted were vulnerable members of the community.
