A TSB bank teller, Caroline Gwen Tamayo Tumapang, stole over $28,000 from customers to support her gambling addiction. Tumapang worked at the Bell Block branch of TSB Bank in New Plymouth from May 2022 until October 2023.
The thefts were discovered when one of the victims complained about money being withdrawn from a dormant account. Tumapang was charged with eight counts of accessing a computer system for dishonest purposes and one of using a document for pecuniary advantage.
Tumapang began pilfering cash on 11 August last year, processing a withdrawal of $350 from an 84-year-old man with a long-term cognitive impairment and setting the account to “inactive.” She then withdrew $1000 from another account owned by the same man, taking $2000, $4000, and $4000 on 22 September.
On 27 September, the man entered the branch and was served by Tumapang, who completed the transactions but dishonestly amended the slip’s monetary figure to read $3000 and paid herself the additional $1000.
Another customer, an 80-year-old woman with significant health issues, had $2500 stolen from her account by Tumapang on 1 September. A third target, a couple, had $8000 taken from their account on 2 October, coding the transaction “to premiere.” Tumapang repeated the action on 16 October, taking $8602.10 from their term investment account.
The total amount she stole was $28,286.80, and the bank has since refunded all the victims. Tumapang admitted all charges and appeared for sentencing. Defense lawyer Sam Hunt argued for an outcome of supervision, but the police prosecutor, Detective Sergeant Dave McKenzie, submitted it was not punitive enough.
Judge Hikaka agreed with McKenzie, stating that Tumapang took a callous and cruel approach to her offending by “carefully selecting victims.” He concluded that prison was not warranted in Tumapang’s circumstances and that an adjournment would be needed to find an address for such a sentence.
