Blessing scam
Three suspected scammers have been arrested trying to leave New Zealand with a large quantity of cash from their alleged victims.
A 50-year-old man and two women, 59 and 53, were arrested at Auckland International Airport yesterday by detectives from the Auckland City Financial Crime Unit. The trio, all Chinese nationals, were arrested just before they checked in for their flights to China.
They arrived in New Zealand on 10 October. Police alleged that two days later, they began operating a blessing scam – a form of fraud targeting immigrant or elderly communities who are deceived into believing they or their loved ones are cursed or in spiritual danger.
Police have jointly charged the three suspects with two counts of obtaining by deception. The charges relate to two victims – one who lost $14,500 and jewellery and another who lost $15,000.
The accused were remanded in custody following their arrest and are due to appear in the Auckland District Court today. Police are continuing to tally the money that has been recovered, but it is a substantial amount.
Perpetrators of blessing scams pose as healers or spiritual practitioners, offering to remove the curse or bring good fortune in exchange for money or valuable items. Victims are pressured to hand over cash or jewellery, typically instructed not to open the packages they receive, only to later discover that the contents are worthless.
While the Financial Crime Unit has identified two victims so far, it’s highly likely more people were targeted.
We urge anyone who may have fallen victim to this scam to contact us and encourage members of New Zealand’s Chinese community to talk with elderly relatives and make a report if they have been scammed.
If you have any information that could help our enquiries, please contact us at 105.police.govt.nz... or call 105.
In New Zealand, blessing scams have predominantly targeted Chinese communities, exploiting cultural beliefs in spiritual healing and curses. This type of fraud has been active in New Zealand for more than 15 years, with a notable rise in cases in Auckland in recent years.
Police have continued to raise awareness within at-risk communities, yet these fraudulent activities persist, often carried out by well-coordinated groups.
Police remain committed to protecting all members of the public from fraud and financial harm, and ensuring that everyone feels safe from deceptive practices.
We encourage the community to stay vigilant against scams and to remain cautious when approached by individuals offering unsolicited services.
If you suspect that you may have fallen victim to a scam, please contact Police via 105 immediately.
Even Australians get it - so why not Kiwis???
“Ten years ago, if a heatwave as intense as last week’s record-breaker had hit the east coast, Australia’s power supply may well have buckled. But this time, the system largely operated as we needed, despite some outages.
On Australia’s main grid last quarter, renewables and energy storage contributed more than 50% of supplied electricity for the first time, while wholesale power prices were more than 40% lower than a year earlier.
[…] shifting demand from gas and coal for power and petrol for cars is likely to deliver significantly lower energy bills for households.
Last quarter, wind generation was up almost 30%, grid solar 15% and grid-scale batteries almost tripled their output. Gas generation fell 27% to its lowest level for a quarter century, while coal fell 4.6% to its lowest quarterly level ever.
Gas has long been the most expensive way to produce power. Gas peaking plants tend to fire up only when supply struggles to meet demand and power prices soar. Less demand for gas has flowed through to lower wholesale prices.”
Full article: www.theguardian.com...
If even Australians see the benefit of solar - then why is NZ actively boycotting solar uptake? The increased line rental for electricity was done to make solar less competitive and prevent cost per kWh to rise even more than it did - and electricity costs are expected to rise even more. Especially as National favours gas - which is the most expensive form of generating electricity. Which in turn will accelerate Climate Change, as if New Zealand didn’t have enough problems with droughts, floods, slips, etc. already.
Time to Tickle Your Thinker 🧠
If a zookeeper had 100 pairs of animals in her zoo, and two pairs of babies are born for each one of the original animals, then (sadly) 23 animals don’t survive, how many animals do you have left in total?
Do you think you know the answer? Simply 'Like' this post and we'll post the answer in the comments below at 2pm on the day!
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Gift with Love 💝
Date night tomorrow? We’ve got the look and the gift! Pop in at Red Cross Shop Henderson for gift ideas for your loved ones ♥️🌹💝
Come visit us at:
433 Great North Rd, Henderson
(09) 8351152
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