Please attribute to Detective Sergeant Mike Freeman:
Police have arrested a 26-year-old man today following an investigation into alleged serious fraud offences.
Police executed a search warrant at an address in Hornby this morning where the man was arrested at the scene.
He has been charged with seven counts of causing loss by deception and one count of attempted loss by deception and is due to appear in the Christchurch District Court this afternoon.
In total, the offender is alleged to have scammed victims out of over $500,000.
A 32-year-old woman was also arrested and has been charged with possession of methamphetamine and causing loss by deception relating to alleged offending that occurred overnight where a victim was scammed out of $28,000.
She is due to appear in the Christchurch District Court next week.
As this is an active investigation with ongoing enquiries, we are limited in providing further details at this time.
We do however acknowledge the victims’ losses in these cases and we appreciate how disappointing it is to fall victim to fraudsters.
Fraud is a significant problem in New Zealand and globally.
Police have been liaising with the victims to provide them with prevention advice and recommendations to help prevent them being targeted by fraudsters.
We also urge the public to never give out your credit card or banking details over the phone, even if the caller purports to be from a reputable company.
If you are ever asked for these details, hang up and phone the company back on their publicly listed number and report the call.
ENDS
Issued by Police Media Centre