A UK national who scammed an Auckland couple out of tens of thousands of dollars for a paint job that never happened has pleaded guilty to fraud charges.
Andrew Yeshua Glauberman, 21, pleaded guilty in the Auckland District Court this week to two fraud offences as well as a handful of shoplifting offences.
Police said Glauberman and his associate, 29-year-old Thomas Jay Taylor, set up operations under a non-registered company called Everlast Home Improvements.
In March, the duo dropped off a flyer in the letterbox of a home in Auckland's Mt Albert, advertising the services of the bogus company on which their scheme was built. The unwitting victims handed over $27,000 as a deposit.
The next day, an associate arrived and carried out a "lazy sanding job" on the exterior over the next two days, never to return.
As police investigated, the duo were questioned by police and charged with five shoplifting offences and obtaining by deception at a Manukau hardware store.
Taylor has since left the country and a warrant was today issued for his arrest.
“If Taylor returns to New Zealand, he will receive a welcoming committee from New Zealand Police, and he will be arrested,” Senior Sergeant Craig Bolton said.
Following his plea, Glauberman will remain in custody until sentencing on September 11.
Bolton said police still wanted to speak to people in the Auckland region and those further afield who had received a flyer like the one provided by the pair, or who had handed over money to such a scheme.
“If you haven’t received the services that you’ve put a deposit down on, it’s highly likely you’ve been scammed, and we need to hear from you.”
Balton said the charges sent a "strong message" to those from overseas looking to carry out scams in New Zealand.
“Kiwis take a very dim view of scammers and those who seek to take advantage of our good nature, and this offending is not welcome here.
“We have a team of very committed fraud detectives who are working hard to prosecute this offending.”
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