The men were travelling from Kuala Lumpur with electronic travel authorities enabling a stopover in New Zealand.

“The group was denied boarding on a flight to Auckland after routine checks identified eligibility concerns that raised red flags in our system,” said Peter Elms, National Manager Border.

Subsequent inquiries by INZ’s Airline Liaison Officer based in Kuala Lumpur, working with airline staff, confirmed the travellers’ true intent was not to join a cruise or transit to Australia, but to enter New Zealand.

Preliminary inquiries indicate the group may have been misled by an unknown agent into believing they had valid work visas for New Zealand. INZ is pursuing leads to identify those behind the scam, but locating those involved in situations like this may be challenging.

“We take these situations very seriously and acted swiftly to prevent a potential border breach,” says Peter Elms. “This incident serves as a prime example of our commitment to proactively managing risk offshore and protecting the integrity of the immigration system and New Zealand border.”

“Anybody seeking to work in New Zealand needs to be very careful that they are not being tricked out of their money and falsely offered jobs. We advise people to protect themselves by checking with the companies involved, to ensure any offers are genuine.

“Anyone who is a victim of a visa scam should report it to their local law enforcement agencies in their country of residence, or the country where the scam occurred.”

The NZeTAs for all 25 individuals have been cancelled, and border alerts have been placed on the individuals for stricter scrutiny of any future travel attempts.