For immediate release 27 July 2007

Customs warns of e-mail scam

New Zealand Customs Service is warning Kiwis who have purchased goods over the internet about an e-mail scam asking them to pay "Customs" fees or duties before their goods will be released.

The scam e-mails are sent to Hotmail accounts after people have purchased goods over the internet.

Customs Group Manager Investigations and Response Paul Campbell says that Customs does not contact importers about duties or GST payable on goods by e-mail.

The e-mails are written in poor English, contain incorrect information regarding Customs, and are not sent from an official Customs e-mail address.

"If Customs has detained goods pending payment of duty or GST, we will always contact you in writing by mail.

"Buyers should beware of any suspicious e-mails, and take care when purchasing over the internet," Campbell says.

Australian Customs has also reported a similar e-mail scam.

Customs was alerted to the scam when a Hotmail account holder became suspicious about an e-mail, which was from nzcustoms@mailmeasap.com, and contacted Customs.

"If anyone is suspicious about the authenticity of any activity regarding Customs, they should call us on 0800 4 CUSTOMS (0800 428 786) to check first," Mr Campbell says.

ENDS

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