Man extradited from Perth to Sydney over alleged shopping centre scam targeting elderly women
Alleged crime syndicates have committed similar offences across two states.
An alleged crime syndicate believed to have committed scams across multiple states is being investigated as police extradite a man from Western Australia to Sydney accused of fleecing thousands from elderly victims.
The alleged shopping centre scams the man was involved in occurred between February and March across NSW where a group of people working together allegedly stealing over $100,000 from elderly people, particularly women, at shopping centres.
Police said one person in the group would allegedly approach the elderly person, claiming they had dropped cash or their wallet.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.When the person opened their wallet to check, a second person in the group allegedly stole their bank cards.
“To date, police have received reports of 34 incidents from the South Coast to Grafton, and several suburbs across Sydney, with more than $150,000 in proceeds stolen,” they said.
Following investigations, a 38-year-old man was arrested at Perth Airport by Australian Federal Police and Western Australia Police.
The man was extradited to Sydney and has been charged with 18 offences including larceny, dishonestly obtaining a financial advantage by deception and shoplifting.
He was refused on bail on Saturday, with investigations under Strike Force Danube ongoing.
In January, NSW Police arrested two Romanian nationals, with possible links to criminal syndicates, for allegedly stealing about $50,000 from elderly drivers in shopping-centre car parks.
Last month, three men also believed to be linked to a Romanian crime syndicate were arrested in Queensland with police seizing over $20,000 in another shopping centre scam.
- With AAP
Originally published on 7NEWS
