Fraudsters go door-to-door in Pāpāmoa with sports club donation scam

Police have issued a warning about a pair of young fraudsters going door-to-door in Pāpāmoa pretending to collect donations for clubs.

A Pāpāmoa retiree, who asked not to be named, has been left feeling "a bit silly" after the youngsters conned him into giving them $10.

The man said the pair, who looked to be about 18 and of either Māori or Pacific Island descent, knocked on his door in Domain Gardens about 4.30pm on Monday.

"They were very plausible and they said they were collecting sponsorships for the Pāpāmoa Under-19 touch team," he said.

"They had a list with the names of people who had donated and unfortunately I put mine on it.

"I'm a bit of a rugby nut, have been all my life, so when someone asks me to help I want to."

Later his wife posted on Facebook to see if the club was actually collecting and was quickly told they were not.

She also learned they had been spotted at least twice before.

Pāpāmoa ward councillor Leanne Brown had an encounter with them last Thursday.

She was at a friend's home in Oriental Parade when a pair fitting the description came knocking.

"They said they were collecting for Te Puna club rugby. My friend told them that if they had any ID showing they were from the club he would support them, but they didn't."

Brown, who had seen a Facebook post about the fraudsters targeting Pacific Cove earlier in the week, called the police as they walked away.

But the time it took to get through 111 to the non-emergency line gave the pair enough time to get away, she said, even though some of her group tried to follow them and local police officers arrived quickly.

Brown said she feared the scammers were targeting older or more vulnerable people or that it was just a front for casing people's houses.

She hoped it would not discourage people from giving to genuine causes or collectors.

Sergeant Tristan Murray of Pāpāmoa Police said police had received one complaint and heard anecdotal reports about encounters with the pair.

"There are allegedly some fraudsters who have been doing the rounds in Pāpāmoa misrepresenting themselves as members of a local rugby club and seeking donations."

He advised people to call 111 quickly if someone came to their door asking for donations that did not seem legitimate.

Both Pāpāmoa Touch and Pāpāmoa Rugby Club have posted social media warnings about the scam, saying they were not collecting.

Glen Cleary from Pāpāmoa Touch said it was disappointing the club's name had been used by the scammers, though it was also a testament to how well-known the club had become in the community.

Representatives from the senior and junior Te Puna rugby clubs says they would never go door-to-door to collect donations, and they intended posting warnings about the disturbing scam on social media.