$22,000 racked up after credit card theft

Auckland police are hunting a credit card fraudster suspected of stealing credit cards from three mailboxes before spending more than $22,000.

Auckland City police district fraud collator Roy Parker told the Herald that officers suspected the man had offended at least three times.

Mr Parker said that since January, the man had clocked up 36 transactions on a spending spree that included buying electronic items and car parts worth $4800.

Security footage leads police to believe the man is the same person involved in two other similar thefts involving credit cards last year.

In June 2008, a credit card was stolen from an address in Remuera and used 12 times on purchases worth more than $1200.

In September 2008, a credit card stolen from an address in St Johns was used fraudulently 116 times - on $16,000 worth of items, including mobile phone, electrical appliances and hardware.

Mr Parker said the victims were not aware their credit card was being used fraudulently because they had assumed their card had simply not arrived in the post. When the victims called the bank to find out why their cards had not arrived, they discovered their cards had been used illegally.

Anyone with information should call Roy Parker on (09) 302-6892 or Detective Sergeant James Robson (09) 302-6972.