Detectives from NSW Police Force’ Financial Crimes Squad arrested a 22-year-old foreign national at around 7am on 20 December in Parramatta on a Queensland arrest warrant for the offence of Fraud- Dishonestly obtains property from another.
Sunshine Coast detectives travelled to Sydney to seek the man’s extradition to Queensland.
Police from the Sunshine Coast Criminal Investigation Branch (CIB) commenced a protracted investigation into an alleged fraud committed on the Sunshine Coast in January 2020.
Detective Senior Constable Russell Connor, Sunshine Coast CIB said police would allege a sophisticated scam saw a 92-year-old man robbed of $30,000.
“We will be alleging that the elderly gentleman was firstly contacted by phone, advising him his accounts had been hacked and compromised, before three men drove from Sydney to his Sunshine Coast home on January 28, 2020.”
“They pretended to be from his bank and convinced him to hand over bank cards and account details before emptying out his accounts.
“This was cowardly behaviour preying on one of the most vulnerable members of our community. For three men to allegedly travel to the Sunshine Coast and do this while looking him in the eye, is staggering,” he said.
Police will allege the three men obtained around $30,000 in cash and property from various ATMs and retail outlets across the Sunshine Coast and Gold Coast before fleeing back to New South Wales the following day.
The other two men, also foreign nationals, allegedly involved are currently under restraint in NSW and therefore Queensland arrest warrants are unable to be executed at this time.
