Upper Hutt man jailed over 20 fraud-related charges

File photo / APN

A 33-year-old Upper Hutt man has been sentenced to 30 months imprisonment after pleading guilty to 20 fraud-related charges and obtaining over $25,000.

Tai Te Karu admitted the charges when he appeared at the Porirua District Court yesterday.

The charges included four charges of altering a document with intent to defraud, five charges of using a document for pecuniary advantage, four charges of using a document to gain other information and six charges of obtaining a document.

Kapiti-Mana Police Constable Nathan Dickey said Te Karu had been accused of using stolen drivers' licences he had modified in an attempt to obtain personal account information and funds from bank accounts.

The offending occurred at nine North Island banks between August 13 and 29 this year.

Te Karu was successful in obtaining $27,300 from three personal bank accounts and several ATMs throughout the Wellington district, however his attempts to obtain a further $5120 were unsuccessful.

Police were alerted to his offending on August 27 after a staff member at the Paraparaumu ANZ branch became suspicious of his behaviour.

Te Karu was arrested three days later in Merton St, Upper Hutt, and has been remanded in custody since then.

He also pleaded guilty to one charge of breaching his parole release conditions.

Mr Dickey said Te Karu targeted tradesmen working on building sites.

"Drivers licences and bank cards were stolen during the day as their vehicles were not always visible and in most cases insecure.

"With the prison sentence of Te Karu it is hoped that it would deter other criminals from attempting to fraudulently use modified drivers licences and other forms of identification to obtain account information and funds from personal bank accounts.

"[With] The security our banks have in place and the procedures their staff follow these days it is almost certain that the offender will be identified and arrested."