Two Hamilton men are facing fraud charges, accused of misleading and taking advantage of Afghan refugees fleeing the Taliban.

The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) allege the two men asked refugees for thousands so that they could be evacuated. The Government already offered these services for free.

SFO officials believe the offending first began in 2021, shortly after US and NATO forces withdrew from Afghanistan and the Taliban seized control of the country.

Thousands tried to escape the country via Kabul airport, creating a chaotic exit that saw people falling from departing planes and an ISIS suicide bombing.

During the chaos, Immigration New Zealand and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs established a team to help eligible Afghan nationals escape the Taliban.

The SFO alleges that one man, who has close ties to the Afghan community and was familiar with the evacuation process, worked with another man to contact eligible refugees, offering their travel in exchange for payment.

They also allege both men knew there was no charge for their service but still asked for more than $450,000 from the evacuees.

Both men were arrested on Tuesday and have since appeared before the Hamilton District Court on fraud charges.

One man is charged with conspiracy to obtain by deception, obtaining by deception, using a forged document, attempting to pervert the course of justice and obstructing an SFO investigation.

The second man is charged with conspiracy to obtain by deception.

Both have been granted interim name suppression and are out on bail. They will next appear in court on July 13.