Group-booking scam targeting Chinese restaurants in Auckland, Digi Mart USA News (Auckland, New Zealand): Chinese restaurants in Auckland are being targeted by a group-booking scam orchestrated by overseas fraudsters, and one business has lost $15,000. Police said they had received multiple reports of offshore scam centres calling restaurants and asking to make a large booking.
The scammers, pretending to be from New Zealand, tell the eatery they will only book if the business prepays for a large order of abalone (pāua) from a supplier in China. Once the payment is made to a bank account, the scammers send a fake transfer confirmation reimbursing the restaurant.
Police said one restaurant fell for the scam and lost $15,000 offshore.
Detective Senior Sergeant Craig Bolton said Chinese restaurants have been targeted so far, but warned the scam could easily spread further heading into Christmas. “It’s coming to a busy time of year, so a phone call looking to secure a booking for a large function could seem appetising,” Bolton said.
“You need to be extremely cautious if you’re being asked to pre-pay or transfer a large amount of money to a bank account.”
Bolton urged businesses not to engage and to use safeguards to protect themselves when booking events. “If bookings require pre-payment or transferring of large amounts of money, we will always advise conducting this arrangement in person.”
