POLICE REPORT
A Katikati woman has been deceived into purchasing iTunes cards and disclosing the purchase numbers to an unknown person by email.
Scamsters have hacked a relative’s email account and emailed the victim asking her to purchase iTunes cards for a present for another person.
Once the numbers on the cards are disclosed to the scammer they enter them on an iTunes account and the scammer benefits from the value of the iTunes cards which in this case was hundreds of dollars. It is imperative that you double check any suspicious emails that you receive and make sure that they have originated from the person who operates the account.
It is unusual that someone will request another person to purchase iTunes cards and have you disclose the numbers. Scammers are trying different methods to steal your money. Follow your instincts if something doesn’t seem right and stop contact with anyone suspicious.
Burglaries
A caravan was stolen from Church St in the early hours of last Friday. See apprehensions.
Overnight Sunday-Monday (May 16/17) a shed on a Walker Rd East property was broken into and a Stihl MS660 chainsaw stolen.
Stolen vehicle
In the early hours of Sunday a white Toyota Caldina SW was stolen from outside a pack house on Prospect Drive. It was located abandoned on Preston Drive.
Arrests and apprehensions
A 20-year-old Te Puna man was stopped driving a stolen car and towing a caravan stolen from Church St, Katikati, on Friday morning. He also had a warrant for his arrest for failing to appear at court. Further charges of burglary to a Tauranga store, six charges of shoplifting, one charge of theft, one charge of wilful damage, two charges of failing to appear at court and one charge of failing to stop for blue and red lights were laid. He has been remanded in custody to appear in the Tauranga District Court on May 28.
On May 11 a 27-year-old Katikati man was arrested for threatening to kill, behaving threateningly and assaults police x 2. He has appeared in court and was to reappear yesterday.