A 25-year-old UK national pretending to be a police officer and scamming people out of nearly $300,000 has been arrested in Auckland Central. On Monday, he was chased on foot by the police.
The scam, which was orchestrated by impersonating a police officer, involved the suspect making calls to landlines. He would then provide a fake badge number, a key element in his deception.
This ruse led to the unfortunate outcome of 18 Aucklanders, primarily elderly citizens aged between 56 and 90, being swindled out of their hard-earned money.
The suspect, a 25-year-old UK national, is now facing a total of 22 charges. These include serious offenses such as obtaining money by deception, attempting to obtain money by deception, and escaping custody.
He is set to make his first appearance in the Auckland District Court on Tuesday.
Detective Senior Sergeant Craig Bolton stated that the scam typically involved a fake officer requesting financial information or asking victims to withdraw cash in connection with a fictitious bank investigation.
The police will oppose the man’s bail, as victims lost a total of $297,700 in cash.
