KEY POINTS:
A second scam involving a bogus courier driver posing as a medical worker with a "special delivery" has been uncovered in Northland.
Last week The Northern Advocate revealed a man pretending to be a courier driver using a portable eftpos swipe machine had fleeced Northlanders of thousands of
dollars.
The man, who said he worked at the District Health Board, was making a delivery that would cost $3.50 and cash was not accepted - only eftpos or credit could be used for payment.
About four people had used the swipe machine, which was more likely a "skimming" machine that copied the card holder's personal banking details. Within hours the details had been transferred onto fake cards and used to withdraw nearly $22,000 from Australian A" machines.
The Northland District Health Board has now issued a warning after another man claiming to be a medical administrator with the health board said he was making a delivery as an executor of a will.
The board's Acting CEO Jeanette Wedding was aware a number of letters had been sent to Northland people telling the recipient they had been left money by a deceased person, and the sender was the executor of the will.
The letter says in his capacity as a medical administrator, the sender has access to a private courier service which handles the secure movement of medical samples and confidential patient records between hospitals, medical centres and health care professionals.
The sender states he uses the service to deliver documents to the beneficiaries of the will and there is a "Verified Delivery Charge" to be paid.
Ms Wedding said no such person worked for or existed with the board and police had been contacted.
"We are very concerned that someone is using the DHB, or our hospitals, as cover in order to steal money from unsuspecting members of the public. We would like to make it clear that any person claiming to represent the DHB as a courier driver or in connection with courier services does not work for this organisation," Ms Wedding said.
She said the board did not deliver medication to homes and board employees or contractors carry an ID card with their name, department and photo.
Any person who is approached under unusual circumstances should ask to see this identification.
New Zealand Bankers Association chief executive Alan Yates said courier firms did not ask for payment in the way the conman demanded and warned people not to give out banking details.
- THE NORTHERN ADVOCATE
