Scam mail can be stopped by NZ Post but only when customers report it.

A Nelson postie has refused to deliver 'scam' mail to a rest home's residents.

The postie, identified by the Postal Workers Union as "Carolyn", was concerned that residents could lose money while trying to claim fake prizes from scratchies sent in the mail.

According to the union, Carolyn refused to deliver mail that she believed contained scams.

A preliminary report on the company's investigation into Carolyn's actions showed she was told she did not get a warning this time but the company would not be so forgiving next time.

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She was told her actions could bring a penalty of up to six months in prison for breaching section 20 of the Postal Services Act, which relates to posties divulging information gained in the course of their duties.

A NZ Post spokesperson said it was "ridiculous" to claim the company threatened the postie with jail.

"Her managers made every effort to take a reasonable approach, including not formally warning her while also impressing upon her the seriousness of interfering with mail.

"It was accepted and acknowledged that while she knowingly breached her conditions of employment, she thought she was doing the right thing."

The spokesperson said the company did not have the legal power to open mail if a scam was suspected.

According to the union, Carolyn had been shown a US$180,000 (NZ$256,000) prize-winning scratchie by another postie, who received it from Solaris Empire Travel Malaysia in his private mail.

The Solaris Empire Travel scratchie is one of several reported scams on the Department of Internal Affairs' (DIA) website.

Last year glossy brochures with scratch and win cards from Malaysia appeared in letterboxes from Nelson to Collingwood, and the DIA warned that the brochures were a "long-running scam designed to swindle unsuspecting victims out of thousands of dollars".

The recipient was required to pay a fee and give personal information to claim the supposed winnings.

Netsafe, an organisation that promotes safe use of online technology, also reported on Malaysian travel scams last year on its website.

There, it said the scam normally involved a glossy brochure and two scratch and win cards.

Executive director Martin Cocker said the scammers did not target any particular demographic and people needed to be aware of these mail scams.

"People are becoming increasingly aware of online scams and often spot these lottery scams online but they think if they have something mailed to them they think it's' more legitimate, but they're not."

He said it was important people reported any incidents and especially if they have fallen victim to one of these scams as it was the only way authorities could track what was happening.

NZ Post has worked in the past to reduce scam mail and worked with other agencies like internal affairs, Netsafe and the police to monitor scam activity.

Scam mail can be stopped by NZ Post but only when customers complain to the police or other reporting agencies like Netsafe.

Even then, NZ Post required the mail to have a New Zealand return address or local account to take any further action.