The second case occurred just a day after the first, at another business in Auckland.
The store came forward after seeing the Herald story, revealing they had been targeted by a man matching the description of "Wayne Kerr" and using a near-identical modus operandi - with two crucial differences.
The first was that the man went nameless, but he again took advantage of a busy store to strike up a conversation with a staff member.
He concocted a fantastic story, claiming that he and his wife-to-be had foregone wedding rings in favour of investing in electric scooters and even went as far as to ask if the staff member would be willing to photograph their wedding.
"Looking back on it, he said the right things to make me trust him," the staff member told the Herald.
In this case, similar to the first, the man walked up to the store rather than park a car nearby.
"He kind of just popped up out of the blue," the worker said.
He tried out a few scooters in the carpark before asking to take one, an expensive model, out for a longer ride to "open it up".
Do you know this man? Photo / Supplied
Again, he was wearing a mask and glasses, but also wearing a hat.
Here came another difference.
This time "Wayne Kerr" was advised he needed to use protection for his ride and removed his hat and glasses in order to don a helmet.
The hat and glasses were all that was left after the man disappeared, with staff confirming they are the same shades sported by the man in the Devonport incident.
But he may not get far.
The store he took off from is the only one in NZ that stocks the charger he needs to keep the scooter going - and that wasn't part of his haul.
The test drive technique has been used elsewhere, with yet another Auckland business reporting that they were targeted by a smooth-talking thief.
Storm Rides suffered a similar fate late last month when a man, also wearing a mask, talked his way into a test ride before fleeing.
Andrew Altmann from Storm Rides told the Herald that it could have been "Wayne Kerr" but he could not be totally sure.
The man spun a yarn about wanting to buy scooters for him and his son, even handing over a car key and license before taking a scooter for a ride.
Altmann said he had a gut feeling as soon as he rounded the corner that he was not coming back and gave chase on another scooter, only for the man to disappear.
He said that in the holiday rush he was yet to report the incident to police but was not holding out much hope, saying he was disappointed by their response to previous reports and adding that the advent of masking gave criminals an advantage in obscuring their identity.
Police are seeking more information on 'Wayne Kerr' and this missing scooter. Photo / Supplied
In a statement, police confirmed that they were on the trail of "Wayne Kerr" and issued advice to retailers on how to protect themselves.
"Police are not immediately aware of electric scooter thefts as a result of test drives being a common issue reported to police, however any store owner who has been the victim of theft is encouraged to report the matter to police," a spokesperson told the Herald
"In general, police encourage store owners who have vehicles/scooters available for test rides, to take necessary steps beforehand to confirm the identity of the person, such as sighting and noting their driver's licence.
"By taking steps to verify the person's identity, this will significantly assist Police in being able to locate any offender who attempts to steal a scooter."
They asked anyone with information on "Wayne Kerr" to contact Police on 105, quoting file number 220112/5205, or Crime Stoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
