Police have urged members of the public to be vigilant after the re-emergence of phone scams from callers claiming to be from government departments.
In recent events, the callers have demanded money in the form of vouchers and made concerning threats to victims should they not transfer funds.
These calls can appear fairly legitimate if the caller knows your name and telephone number, but police wish to assure the public that threatening behaviour would not be made from a real government agency caller.
"It is relatively easy for any scammer to obtain somebody's name and phone number.
A simple white book query, checking social media online, or by social engineering means, such as convincing a friend of a friend to reveal some details," said NZ Police Chief Information Security Officer Paul Blowers.
"Police are not able to track these callers directly but depending on how they have configured their mobile phone, some details can be revealed.