Inspector Matt Scoles, Southern Districts operations manager, said reports had been received of several recent incidents.
“The 'agent' pretends to be someone from a certain department, tells you that you have been a victim of fraud or scam, and then tries to obtain more financial information from you.
“People have been told to go to the bank and withdraw money to find evidence of the alleged scam.
“This is a scam: no legitimate police officer will ever ask you to hand over any money for any reason.
“If you want to establish whether the agent is real, ask for the agent's full details. Hang up, call 105 and ask someone to check it for you.
Elderly members of our community were targeted and police urged anyone with elderly, vulnerable relatives or friends to inform them of the scam.
Since early August, police in Auckland and Wellington have made arrests in connection with the scam.
Three people are currently before the courts in connection with defrauding vulnerable people in the Auckland and Wellington districts.
One of them, a 26-year-old Briton, has since been convicted of defrauding victims of more than $330,000.