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An Auckland Fullers employee accused of fraudulently refunding herself ferry tickets over a prolonged period has left her job suddenly and police are investigating historic thefts.
The staff member was based in the Fullers’ downtown Auckland office at the Ferry Basin but her employment ended abruptly last month after her alleged offending came to light.
It’s unclear whether she was fired or resigned, with Fullers refusing to comment on the matter.
The Herald understands the woman allegedly used multiple identities to refund tickets to herself before pocketing the money. It’s understood the refunds had been occurring for several years before the alleged thefts were identified by the company.
An Auckland Fullers employee accused of fraud has left her job suddenly and police are investigating. Photo / Jason Oxenham
A source told the Herald the woman would allegedly purchase tickets under other staff members’ names or accounts before processing the refunds to her own account.
It’s understood innocent staff members whose names or accounts were allegedly fraudulently used by the woman were challenged by the company and wrongly accused of misconduct, leaving them humiliated and upset.
“She’d allegedly been buying tickets and refunding them to herself using multiple identities,” a source told the Herald.
“She allegedly used details of other staff too without their knowledge and the way this was handled caused a lot of staff much upset as several were outright accused of theft. Some staff had their names muddied and were left hurt and upset by the unfounded accusations.”
After the alleged thefts were finally uncovered, the woman was called to a meeting and confronted by Fullers management.
The Herald understands the woman was either fired or resigned with immediate effect and may have now left the country.
“My understanding is that she was called to a meeting and didn’t return to the office and is believed to have travelled overseas,” a source told the Herald.
The Herald put the allegations to Fullers and asked for details on how the alleged offending occurred, over what time frame, how much money was allegedly stolen, how the offending came to light and what happened at the meeting with the employee.
The Herald also asked whether Fullers had reported the matter to police and for a response to claims the company had wrongly accused innocent employees of wrongdoing.
The woman worked at Fullers' downtown ferry headquarters before leaving suddenly last month. Photo / Dean Purcell
Fullers declined to answer the questions, providing only a short emailed statement.
“We are unable to comment on details of employment relations matters, these are confidential. However, we can confirm any concerns involving our people follow fair and reasonable processes in line with New Zealand employment legislation and best practice.”
Pushed further for a response, a spokeswoman again declined, saying the matter “falls under confidential employment relations matters”.
Police confirmed this week they have received a report relating to “alleged historical fraud”.
“We are still making initial inquiries into this matter, and at this stage we are unable to comment further.”
