Malaysian travel scam returns
A Malaysian scratchie scam targeting Kiwis has been doing the rounds again.
A glossy brochure – which advertises a scratch-and-win card – appears to be the latest iteration of the well-known scam.
It features logos of companies it has no alliance with, including Fuji Xerox NZ.
In a press release, Fuji Xerox NZ told customers the flyers were being mailed by a fake company going by either the name Nobel Tourism or Verticas Leisure Tour.
‘‘The Fuji Xerox logo has been falsely used on these tickets, depicting our company as a ‘supporter’ of the contest. Fuji Xerox has no affiliation with these companies whatsoever and our logo has been used without consent,’’ the company said.
Last year the brochures targeted a
90-year-old woman offering up to
US$300,000 (NZ$450,000) in prize money to celebrate a 15th anniversary for the fake travel company.
Its latest brochure claims to be celebrating its 16th year.
Consumer NZ issued warnings about travel scratchie scams run from Malaysia in 2013 and 2017. While the names of the ‘‘traders’’ differed, the scams were essentially the same, involving glossy travel brochures. To make it more believable, victims never won first prize.
The Department of Internal Affairs maintains an extensive list of scratchie scams under the postal scams section on its website.
The Commerce Commission said it had received one complaint about Verticas Leisure Tour this year but it had not yet been assessed.
‘‘Malaysian travel scratchie scams are commonly seen in New Zealand, with new versions frequently appearing. The Commission publicly warned consumers in 2015 and 2017 to be wary of them.
‘‘If you receive unsolicited travel brochures and scratchies from travel companies requesting you to hand over money we would recommend you be wary of them. Always consider the possibility that it may be a scam, even if the unsolicited material you receive includes logos of legitimate companies. We would advise all consumers to remember that if an offer sounds too good to be true, it probably is.’’