A prolific fraudster faces dozens of charges after racking up over $100,000 in trade debt allegedly under someone else¡¯s identity.
The Auckland man has been remanded in custody after being arrested by fraud detectives on Tuesday at an apartment in Auckland¡¯s CBD.
Auckland City¡¯s Financial Crime Unit has been adding up the man¡¯s crime spree which allegedly began in December last year, laying 36 fraud charges.
Kume¨± Police had initially dealt with an unsuspecting victim of identity theft and alerted the unit.
Detective Senior Sergeant Craig Bolton says: ¡°It will be alleged that the man used a fake driver¡¯s licence to obtain more than $110,000 in product from several large electronic and hardware retailers.
¡°This included fraudulently ordering nearly $20,000 in equipment commonly used to operate a clandestine laboratory.¡±
Branches of well-known retailers were targeted right across the Auckland region. Items allegedly obtained include high value electronicand hardware goods.
Detective Senior Sergeant Bolton says generally fake driver¡¯s licences are a tool of the trade for fraud offenders.
This sort of offending will involve someone combining their real identity with that of another person.
¡°I acknowledge our colleagues in Kume¨± for alerting us in the first instance, which has prompted our team to investigate.
¡°Detective Sergeant Ramsay and Detective Everson from the Auckland City¡¯s Financial Crime Unit have worked with urgency to bring together 12 separate cases Auckland wide.¡±
The man has appeared in the Auckland District Court and will reappear on 11 April 2025.
ENDS.
Jarred Williamson/51½ÖÉä