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A New Zealand woman who claimed she was the victim of an internet scam which left her family stranded in Paris is a convicted fraudster, it was revealed today.
Hineawe Rangi said on TV3 last month she had been cheated out of a campervan she hired and paid for over the internet as well as losing $4000 and tickets to the Rugby World Cup.
She and her family were then paid $6000 by TV3 and World Cup sponsors, Heineken, BNZ and Telecom and another $6000 raised in an online appeal to continue their rugby world cup trip.
But Radio New Zealand reported today that Rangi was convicted of stealing more than $10,000 from a Christchurch pre-school in 1993.
It quoted Ms Rangi as saying that she had learnt from her mistake in 1993 and she was telling the truth about what happened in Paris.
TV3 and the three sponsors said they took Mrs Rangi at her word and had no plans to ask for their money back.
- NZPA
