Fraudster still on the run
A wanted man who has allegedly been duping people through Trade Me is a career conman who once gave false information to police investigating the Scott Guy murder case.
Andrew Colin George Jacobs, now 23, also falsely told a 17-yearold girl he had cancer so he could get part of her dead father’s estate.
Waikato police say he has recently defrauded more people, often through Trade Me, and they have a warrant to arrest him.
‘‘He has obtained items for sale with the premise he will pay following delivery, but payment is never made,’’ a police statement said.
He is wanted in relation to multiple fraud matters and was seen in Morrinsville in the early hours of Saturday, August 27.
He has connections to the Waikato and the Rangitikei areas and police think he will be trying to get back to the Bulls area.
Anyone with any information regarding his whereabouts is asked to please contact the Morrinsville Police on (07) 8895071 or can be given anonymously via Crime stoppers on 0800 555111.
Jacobs is originally from Feilding and had 40 convictions by the time he was 20 - some committed while on bail as he waited for sentencing on other matters.
His list of convictions covers everything from lying to police to blackmail and forgery.
One high profile instance was providing false information to police investigating the Scott Guy murder case in 2010, for which he was convicted and fined $500.
He was sentenced to jail by Justice Gilbert on April 3, 2014, who at that stage was concerned about his criminal history of 36 convictions.
He was imprisoned for 13 months on three charges of obtaining by deception and one of using a document for pecuniary advantage.
But while he was on bail, waiting for sentencing on those matters, he committed more offences between December 2013 and January 2014.
They involved dodgy dealings with vehicles and a travel expenses ruse when applying for jobs.
He used an alias to buy a Toyota Altezza via Trade Me for $8350, then forged a ‘‘nationwide bank’’ email confirming he had transferred funds to the victim.
He got the car but the promised money never went through.