Internal Affairs is warning people that phone scammers, claiming to be from the department, are trying to cheat them out of money and they should contact the police.

Internal Affairs is reporting several people have informed them that the callers say Internal Affairs is holding bank fee money for them, and that it can be released by payment of a 'fee' or 'tax'.
Internal Affairs deputy secretary Craig Armitage says the department has nothing to do with these callers and has reported the calls to the police. The department does not hold bank fees for anyone or ring people offering money for a fee.
"The callers are quite persistent and in some cases refer to the victim's date of birth and who they bank with," says Craig.
"They've also claimed on occasion to be acting on behalf of Inland Revenue.
"Unfortunately some people have fallen victim and tell us they sent money to the scammers via their local post shop."
Anyone suspicious of a call purporting to be from Internal Affairs can ask for the caller's name, and ring to confirm on an Internal Affairs number published in the white pages or on the department's official website under 'general enquiries'.

Inland Revenue is further warning people about a hoax email claiming to offer a tax refund.
The link in the email directs people to a fake webpage with an Inland Revenue logo. People are asked to enter personal details, including their username and credit card details.
Inland Revenue group manager Charles Ronaldson says anyone who enters information risks having their details stolen.
"We know this email is circulating and our advice to people is to ignore it," says Charles.
"The site is trying to use the Inland Revenue brand to try to access credit card account details of people visiting the site.
"Our advice is to never click on any links within a suspicious email, do not reply to the email, and delete it from your inbox."
People must be very careful about giving out their personal details. However, if anyone has replied to the people behind these scams they should contact their bank or credit card provider. If they have clicked the link and entered their bank details they should change their password immediately.

If they have provided their IRD online details they should contact us as at 0800 775 247.

To report suspicious emails that target Inland Revenue customers, please send an email to [email protected]