New Zealanders have been warned of fraudulent phone calls which promise refunds from the Inland Revenue Department (IRD) if the person called is willing to donate substantial sums of money to UNICEF.
Neither IRD nor UNICEF is involved and the calls are a part of a scam to lure people under false pretences.
Abdul Rafik, IRD’s Community Relationship Advisor, who writes a regular monthly column in this newspaper, had appealed to people not to be attracted by such fictitious calls and that his Department contacts taxpayers directly for refunds.
UNICEF New Zealand Executive Director Dennis McKinlay said that people should be cautious of such phone calls and that the agency has nothing to do with IRD refunds.
According to him, the fraudsters send email messages to people saying that large sums of money as IRD refunds are waiting for them and that they should call a Wellington telephone number for further information.
“UNICEF has nothing to do with this activity; it is a scam. We have reported it to Scamwatch run by the New Zealand Consumer Affairs Ministry,” he said.
Wrong information
Mr McKinlay said that he was also reminding people to be weary of emails that contain inaccurate information about UNICEF and worse, claiming to represent the Charitable Organisation.
“Scams in the past have ranged from phishing emails asking for bank details to others claiming to be from UNICEF offering jobs or prizes. Others emails contain incorrect information about salary packages of senior staff from a range of NGOs, including UNICEF,” he said.
Mr McKinlay said that authentic emails and phone communications from UNICEF do not ask for large sums of money or offer incentives to donors.
“If you have any questions over the validity of an offer or are worried about email or phone communication you have received regarding UNICEF, please contact us on 0800-243575 or email 2helpkids@unicef.org.nz,” he said.
About UNICEF
UNICEF is on the ground in over 190 countries and territories to help children survive and thrive, from early childhood through adolescence.
The world’s largest provider of vaccines for developing countries, UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS.
UNICEF is a charity, funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations and governments.
