131 days ago

Police warn businesses to stay alert

The Team from North Shore, Rodney & West Auckland Police

Waitematā Police are reminding businesses to be vigilant, after a spate of attempted fraudulent activity in recent weeks.

Waitematā CIB Detective Sergeant Mark Renfree says Police are aware of three recent incidents where a person or persons have attempted to obtain goods fraudulently.
“In each case, an individual has called a local hardware-type business and placed an order for a large amount of product. This person has attempted to charge the product to the account of a company known to the business.”
Once approved, the scammer has sent an Uber driver to pick up the items.

“So not only are they committing fraud, but they are also putting innocent and unaware Uber drivers into the middle of this offending,” Detective Sergeant Renfree says.

An investigation into these incidents is ongoing, however Police want to warn businesses to be aware of this specific type of scam and to take steps to safeguard against it.

“Our message is simple, do not allow anyone to charge items to an account without verifying them and obtaining identification of the caller,” says Detective Sergeant Renfree. “Anyone purchasing goods should know all the company details they are charging to.”

Businesses should follow these steps:
• Verify all orders placed over the phone, especially if the caller is unknown
• Cross-check contact details with official account records
• Do not dispatch goods until the order is confirmed by a known contact
• Report any suspicious activity to Police

“We are reminding people to be vigilant and cross-check all details,” Detective Sergeant Renfree says. “And most importantly, do not hand over anything until you are satisfied everything is correct.”

Police are encouraging any suspicious behaviour to be reported online at 105.police.govt.nz or by calling 105.

Information can also be reported anonymously via Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111.

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More messages from your neighbours
9 days ago

Some Choice News!

Kia pai from Sharing the Good Stuff

DOC is rolling out a new tool to help figure out what to tackle first when it comes to protecting our threatened species and the things putting them at risk.

Why does this matter? As Nikki Macdonald from The Post points out, we’re a country with around 4,400 threatened species. With limited time and funding, conservation has always meant making tough calls about what gets attention first.

For the first time, DOC has put real numbers around what it would take to do everything needed to properly safeguard our unique natural environment. The new BioInvest tool shows the scale of the challenge: 310,177 actions across 28,007 sites.

Now that we can see the full picture, it brings the big question into focus: how much do we, as Kiwis, truly value protecting nature — and what are we prepared to invest to make it happen?

We hope this brings a smile!

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2 hours ago

Get up to $30,000 back* with your new home

Murray Halberg Retirement Village

Sign up to an independent apartment or townhouse at a participating Ryman village by 31 March 2026 and receive a $30,000 credit on settlement or sign up to a serviced apartment and receive a $10,000 credit on settlement*.

Imagine a new smart TV, your next getaway or furniture for your new home. With more money staying in your pocket, it’s yours to spend!

Discover the lifestyle that awaits.

*Participating villages only, Terms and conditions apply.

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11 hours ago

🎉 Riddle me this, legends! 🎉

The Riddler from The Neighbourly Riddler

He/She who makes it, sells it.
He/She who buys it, doesn't use it.
The user doesn't know they are using it.
What is it?

(Shezz from Ngāruawāhia kindly provided this head-scratcher ... thanks, Shezz!)

Do you think you know the answer? Simply 'Like' this post if you know the answer and the big reveal will be posted in the comments at 2pm on the day!

Want to stop seeing these in your newsfeed?
Head here and hover on the Following button on the top right of the page (and it will show Unfollow) and then click it. If it is giving you the option to Follow, then you've successfully unfollowed the Riddles page.

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