Is Someone Really Calling About Your Visa? The Voice That Isn’t From New Zealand

The phone vibrates. An unfamiliar New Zealand number appears. The voice is calm, official, measured. It knows your name. It knows you hold a visa. It speaks of “urgent problems” and “legal consequences”. For a moment, the room feels smaller. Your future feels fragile.

Across New Zealand, this scene is unfolding again and again. Immigration New Zealand (INZ) has confirmed a surge in fraudulent phone calls where scammers pose as immigration officials, using local mobile numbers to appear legitimate. These calls are definitely not real. Yet somehow they feel disturbingly authentic.

The strategy is simple -  fear!

Scammers create urgency. They claim your visa is at risk. They ask you to “press 1” or speak to an operator. Some demand payment. Others request passport details or bank information. A few threaten legal action.

INZ is unequivocal:

“Immigration New Zealand will never contact you by phone asking for payments.”

And yet, the calls continue. For international students, workers and families who have built lives in New Zealand, a visa is not paperwork. It is stability. It is tomorrow. That is why these scams cut so deeply. They exploit hope, belonging and the quiet anxiety that comes with living far from home. INZ urges people not to engage. Hang up immediately. Do not provide any personal or financial information. Report the call to CERT NZ. If you are in New Zealand, Netsafe is also available for support.

Another message from authorities speaks directly to the emotional weight these calls carry:

“Scammers often claim there is an urgent problem with your visa to create pressure or fear.”

The fear is real. The threat is not.

For anyone who receives such a call and needs reassurance, INZ advises contacting its Service Centre directly. Staff can confirm visa details and provide clarity. The real system does not rush. It does not threaten. It does not demand money over the phone.

In an age where voices can be borrowed and numbers can lie, safety begins with pause. A single decision—to hang up—can protect years of effort, study and dreams.

Not every official-sounding call is official.

Sometimes, the most dangerous voice is the one that sounds certain.