14 Common Tourist Scams to Avoid in New Zealand

New Zealand, located in the Pacific Ocean, is a small island home to around 4.5 million people. One of the most unique tourist places to visit, you will witness verdant landscapes and an abundance of pristine wilderness in this location. As per recent data, about 4.9 million international visitors travelled to New Zealand this year.

Planning a trip to New Zealand for the first time? 

Keep reading to learn about the most common tourist scams in New Zealand and the tips to avoid them.

Given below is a list of scams you must know to stay alert when visiting New Zealand:

1. Corrupt Taxi Drivers

One of the most dangerous New Zealand scams is the corrupt taxi scam, where a taxi driver approaches you and tells you that all the roads going to your destination are closed. As you hop in, he informs you that the meter is broken and quotes an unnecessarily inflated price. 

If you disagree to pay, he harasses you. Sometimes, taxi drivers can also take you through longer routes and charge you an unreasonable price.

Common Around: Christchurch, Auckland, Wellington, Dunedin, Rotorua and Tauranga.

2. Photography Scam

Photography scam is one of the latest scams in NZ where a 'friendly' local will request you to take his/her picture. As you click their picture and return the camera, they will purposefully drop it and blame you for breaking it. 

They will demand money from you, claiming you have done the damage and harassing you.

Common Around: North Shore, Christchurch, Auckland, and Wellington.

3. ‘Accidental Spill’ Scam

Distraction is an old trick when it comes to scamming tourists in New Zealand and other countries as well. You will find a person accidentally spilling some beverage/waste or anything on you. 

As they apologise and proceed to 'help' you, you get distracted by the incident. Eventually, they grab your valuables.

Common Around: Popular tourist places in New Zealand.

4. Asking Directions Scam

One of the latest scams in New Zealand is when a person asks for directions on a map. The person will approach you suddenly, claiming that they are new to the place and do not know the route. They will start a conversation with you. 

These are all easy ways to distract you from a pickpocket.

Common Around: Popular tourist places in New Zealand.

5. Woman Needing Assistance Scam

Woman roaming on the streets of local markets seeking assistance is perhaps one of the most common tourist scams in New Zealand. You will suddenly find a woman approaching you and telling you a story about how she lost her route or her family. 

While you are distracted, an accomplice steals your belongings.

Common Around: North Shore, Christchurch, Auckland, and Wellington.

6. Hotel/Hostel Scam

Several scammers have been caught hosting fake profiles for hotels and hostels in New Zealand that do not exist. This is one of the common online scams in NZ where scammers fake hotel booking confirmations to fraud customers. 

With this, they steal customer details and send them emails pretending to come from hotel companies.

Common Around: Throughout the country in the popular tourist attractions.

7. Free Gift Scam

One of the frauds in NZ is the free gift scam. You will find a stranger approaching you, speaking kind words and offering flowers, bracelets or anything as a gift to you. If you take it, they will charge you an amount and compel you to pay. 

If you disagree, the individual will cause a scene.

Common Around: Dunedin, Rotorua, Christchurch, Auckland, Wellington, and Tauranga.

8. Rental Scams

One of the current scams in New Zealand is the damaged goods scam. You rent a vehicle to travel around the location. However, you find it got damaged after you have parked it at a tourist place (an employee from the office might have done it purposefully). 

The rental office accuses you of damaging the vehicle and demands money for the repairs. 

Common Around: Queenstown, Auckland, Napier, Rotorua and Christchurch.

9. Friendly ATM Help Scam

Amongst the common scams in New Zealand is the ATM scam. Here, a person suddenly approaches you at an ATM, promising to help you. However, they intend to scan your credit or debit card with a card skimmer and view your PIN so they can empty your account moments after you leave the ATM.

Common Around: Most of the ATM centres in New Zealand.

10. Bar Friends Scam

While partying in New Zealand, beware of the friendly locals who will invite you for a drink in a bar they 'know'. They work collaboratively with these bars. So, after a couple of drinks, you, the bar owner, will hand a huge bill to you asking you to pay. 

If you fail to pay the money, bar bodyguards will harass you unnecessarily. 

Common Around: North Shore, Christchurch, Auckland, and Wellington.

11. Guessing Game Scam

In this scam, a group of people (part of the scam) surround a person showing a game on the street and ask the people around to guess the correct answer. As one of them from the group guesses the correct answer, the trickster rewards him. 

This attracts several tourists to the game show. As you get trapped and concentrate on finding the answer, the group members (who were part of the scam) quickly pickpocket your valuables.

Common Around: North Shore, Christchurch, Auckland, and Wellington.

12. Spilling Waste Scam

While walking down the streets, you suddenly find someone ‘accidentally’ spilling something on you. At the next moment, they are sorry and offer to clean it up, removing the stain and apologising. 

While you are all distracted, they pick your pocket. By the time you realise what has happened, they are long gone.

Common Around: Throughout New Zealand.

13. Visa Scams

Visa scams include deceptive practices where tourists unfamiliar with visa processes are exploited. Here, scammers create fake websites that copy authentic visa service providers. It makes it difficult for applicants to differentiate between fraudulent and genuine platforms.

Common Around: Throughout the country.

14. Phone Scam

Phone scams in New Zealand are common in the country, where you might suddenly receive a message on your phone with a short URL. It represents a phishing page whose intention is to gather customers' details such as name, email address, password and credit/debit card details.

Common Around: Christchurch, Auckland, Wellington, Dunedin, Rotorua and Tauranga.

Try to avail yourself of travel insurance to New Zealand before you begin your journey to this destination. This will ensure you/your family and your financial safety if there is an unexpected occasion arising in a foreign land.

• Whenever you hire a taxi, check with the driver regarding the taxi meter. Always choose licenced taxis from the official outpost for travelling. Always research the standard fares, routes, etc., before choosing a taxi service in New Zealand.
• Be wary of over-friendly strangers, especially when in a new place, asking for photography, assistance, seeking help for routes, or offering ‘free gifts’.
• Keep your debit/credit card in a safe place/inside your bag to avoid pickpocketing in crowded areas.
• In case you lose your passport, get it replaced by the Indian embassy in New Zealand.
• Always book a hotel or a hostel in this location from reliable sources. Additionally, check their credibility and reviews before paying any amount.
• Secure all of your valuables before heading out for the day. Put your wallets in slash-resistant bags or hidden pouches. 
• Always book flight and hotel tickets from reliable tour operators and sources.
• Cover the keypad when entering your PIN in an ATM to prevent hidden cameras from capturing the details.
• Choose travel insurance with financial emergency cash cover that rescues you during unforeseen circumstances.  
• Never click on any link that you receive on your phone.

If you fall victim to any unforeseen circumstances in New Zealand, you can always contact the Emergency Police Response at 111. 

Here are some more contacts that are useful to have in case of any emergencies:

• Emergency road incidents - 555
• Medical treatment and ambulance assistance - 0800 611 116
• Fire Brigade - 111
• High Commission of India, Wellington, New Zealand - (+64) 4-473-6390

So, these are some of the tourist scams in New Zealand. Adhering to the rules and regulations in the country and keeping note of the possible crimes will help you stay alert from these scams. Also, keep handy all the emergency contact numbers so that you can approach the police as and when required. In case of emergencies, you can always contact the local embassy and seek assistance.