NZTA to waive fee for victims of email scam

File photo / Bay of Plenty Times

The New Zealand Transport Agency has offered to waive the driver licence replacement fee for anyone duped by a phishing email scam involving the agency.

On Wednesday NZTA reported emails had been widely distributed from a source purporting to be the "NZTA Services Team", seeking recipients to update personal details by clicking to linked website.

When some of the agency's own staff received the email, they knew it was a scam.

By yesterday new versions of the scam had appeared, also asking people to provide their driver licence details.

"These emails are not from the NZTA. They are part of a phishing scam which leads people to a counterfeit website. If you receive one of these messages you should delete it immediately," NZTA spokesperson Andy Knackstedt said.

The NZTA has advised the Ministry of Consumer Affairs and the Department of Internal Affairs of these unauthorised emails, and both organisations have added them to their lists of scam alerts.

People who have inadvertently provided their driver licence details on the counterfeit website should contact NZTA on 0800 822 422 and have their licence cancelled. This will ensure that the licence details will not be validated if someone attempts to use them for illegitimate purposes.

The agency is offering to waive the normal fee of $38.20 and provide a replacement licence at no charge to anyone who has been caught up in the phishing scam.

The phishing emails have also asked people to provide credit card details on the false site, and the NZTA advises anyone who has done so to contact their bank immediately to cancel the card.

- NZHERALD STAFF