Immigration NZ reiterates warning against accepting potential job scams
Immigration New Zealand (INZ) has intercepted 25 Bangladeshi nationals who were about to enter the country without valid work visas, as it renewed its warning against accepting job scams.
The foreigners were denied a flight to New Zealand while they were in a stopover in Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, according to INZ.
Peter Elms, national manager border, said their routine checks identified "eligibility concerns that raised red flags" in their system.
The group tried to enter New Zealand under "false pretences," according to INZ, as they attempted to enter the country by initially saying they were joining a cruise or transit to Australia.
The INZ said they believe the group may have been misled by an unknown agent into believing they had valid work visas for New Zealand.
"INZ is pursuing leads to identify those behind the scam, but locating those involved in situations like this may be challenging," the agency said in a media release.
Warning against job scams
Elms said individuals seeking to work in New Zealand must be very careful that they're not being tricked out of their money and falsely offered jobs.
"We advise people to protect themselves by checking with the companies involved, to ensure any offers are genuine," he said.
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INZ previously told individuals to be vigilant against job offer scams that offer "unrealistically high" earnings and pathways to New Zealand.
"The general rule is if someone offers you a job in New Zealand and it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is," Senior Investigator Helen Garratt previously said in a statement.
Victims of visa scam should report it to their local law enforcement agencies in their country of residence, or the country where the scam occurred, according to INZ.
The New Zealand government has been cracking down on unlawful entries to New Zealand and has banned over 200 employers from hiring foreign talent.
It comes after the authorities found over 100 Indian and Bangladeshi nationals in 2023 who were left to live in unsanitary conditions after they were brought under the Accredited Employment Work Visa scheme.