The Ministry of Consumer Affairs is warning people about an email scan, which uses Christchurch's earthquake as an opportunity to prey on the good will of New Zealanders.
Ministry watchdog Scamwatch said it had already received reports of emails sent from "James McCoy", who claims to be from "Donate4Charity NZ''.
The scam, which uses the name of a legitimate United Kingdom-based charity and its website address, asks New Zealanders to accept overseas donations for Christchurch earthquake victims.
It suggests the recipient can be the New Zealand manager of the bogus charity in return for a 10 percent cut.
The ministry said giveaway signs of an email scam include a generic email address, poor grammar and spelling, and an offer of a cut for accepting money.
It urged people to delete the email and report it to Scamwatch.
The Charities Commission said it was best to donate money to large, well-known charities and said charities could be checked on the Charities Register website.
