Waka Kotahi asks New Zealanders to beware of new rego scam

Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency is warning people to be aware of a new vehicle licence (rego) scam email landing in some New Zealanders’ email inboxes.

The email states “your licence plate number will expire” and provides an expiry date that is generally on the same day as the email was received.

The email is not legitimate and contains fake links which direct the user to an illegitimate website that looks identical to our website:
https://transact.nzta.govt.nz(external link)

This is part of a sophisticated phishing campaign designed to harvest customers’ credit card and driver licence information.

The email doesn’t include specific vehicle details like the make or plate number, and the expiry date most likely won’t match the one on the rego label on your vehicle.

If you’ve recently received an email asking you to renew your rego, please check the email details carefully. If the email was genuinely sent from Waka Kotahi, it will include your specific vehicle details including your:

• plate number
• vehicle make
• expiry date of your current vehicle licence.

If the email doesn’t include your specific vehicle details or seems suspicious, don’t click on any links and don’t provide your personal, driver licence, credit card or banking details. If you think you’ve received a scam email, or you’re unsure, please call us on 0800 108 809 or report it to us online:

Report a phishing scam form

If you’ve unintentionally clicked on a suspicious link and entered your personal, driver licence, credit card or banking details, we recommend you:

1. Contact your bank immediately and have them stop any payments that may have been made. You may also need to request a new credit/debit card.
2. Contact Waka Kotahi at info@nzta.govt.nz or on 0800 822 422 to cancel your current photo driver licence card and arrange for a replacement (it will cost $38.20). Please include the word ‘scam’ in your email subject line.
3. Report the email to your local Police cyber-crime division.
4. Report the scam to Waka Kotahi
5. Don’t delete the email. Instead, put it in your junk mail folder in case the police need it for further examination.
6. Go to the Netsafe website and read their advice. It’s a very helpful resource for cyber safety:
   www.netsafe.org.nz(external link)

Find more information online:

• How to spot or report a phishing scam
• Vehicle licence (rego) email scam

Plan ahead for a safe, enjoyable journey. Keep up to date with:

• Traffic updates: journeys.nzta.govt.nz/traffic(external link)
• Facebook: facebook.com/TransportAgency(external link)
• Twitter: twitter.com/WakaKotahi_news(external link)
• Journey planner: journeys.nzta.govt.nz(external link)
• Phone: 0800 4 HIGHWAYS (0800 44 44 49)