The Reserve Bank is warning people that scammers are using its name in an attempt to make their scam seem genuine

The Reserve Bank's warning people that fraudsters are using its name in effort to make their scam appear genuine.

An RBNZ spoksperson said the scammers were typically telling their victims that they needed to pay in order to process or release a tax refund, or a one-off bonus from the Government, or to receive some unclaimed money.

The scammers often asked their victim for immediate payment via a website, which sent the money to the Philippines or India.

The scammers sometimes claimed to work for the Reserve Bank, or the Inland Revenue Department, or Prime Minister John Key.

They tried to reassure their victims by claiming that the Reserve Bank could provide a “receipt number” or other proof that the “release payment” has been made.

The Reserve Bank’s name was used in an effort to reassure their victims that the scam is genuine. 

"These scammers are just trying to steal money. They’re not genuine; they’re fraudsters," the RBNZ spokesperson said.

"The Reserve Bank is not involved in tax refunds or tax collection.  Tax refunds are managed by the Inland Revenue Department, which doesn’t ask for payments in order to process refunds.  You don’t need to pay the Inland Revenue Department or any other government agency to receive a tax refund, bonus payment or receive unclaimed money."

The Reserve Bank strongly advised people to not answer questions from these scammers, not transfer money to them, and simply hang up the phone if they call.