Money seized by police. Photo: Supplied / Police
Three suspected scammers who posed as spiritual practitioners have been arrested after allegedly defrauding victims of thousands of dollars.
The Chinese nationals - a 50-year-old man, and two women aged 59 and 53 - were arrested at Auckland International Airport on Tuesday.
In a statement, police said the trio arrived in New Zealand in October and began operating a scam where they deceived people into believing that they or their loved ones were cursed, and would offer spiritual healing in exchange for money or valuable items.
Photo: Supplied / Police
Detective senior sergeant Craig Bolton said the trio were facing joint charges in relation to two victims - one who lost $14,500 worth of jewellery, and another who lost $15,000.
He said the accused targeted immigrant or elderly communities.
Bolton said while two victims had been identified so far, he believed there could be more victims in the Chinese community.
He said victims were pressured to hand over cash or jewellery, and given packages in exchange.
Photo: Supplied / Police
They would be instructed not to open the packages, only to later discover the contents were worthless.
"In New Zealand, blessing scams have predominantly targeted Chinese communities, exploiting cultural beliefs in spiritual healing and curses," Bolton said.
"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."
He was urging anyone who may have fallen victim to the scam to contact police, and for members of the Chinese community to raise awareness with their elderly relatives.
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