Police used 'super-arrest' and took a prolific burglar into custody who fraudulently obtained and stole items from vulnerable people, including highly valuable Pokémon cards.
The incidents were reported from August 2025 and were spread across districts.
The losses to victims were in excess of $32,000 and included Facebook and Marketplace scams, fraudulent acquisitions of portable cabins, caravans, and more.
The offender took advantage of a member of the public that offered them a granny flat to stay in while they undertook work at the property in Auckland. The offender repaid the favour by stealing their trailer and two distinctive electric guitars.
On one particular burglary, the scammer managed to trick prospective tenants to send him a tenancy deposit.
This was for a property in Putāruru that they had no authority to tenant and had to break into to show two sets of people through it.
On the Pokémon cards, the offender had agreed to swap specific cards, and the victim sent theirs.
The offender sent invalid tracking details and blocked the interaction, keeping all the cards.
As officers worked on the file, the investigation evolved quickly, and Waikato Tactical Crime and Bay of Plenty staff executed two search warrants on Wednesday at Putāruru addresses.
Thankfully, not all the stolen cards were 'lost in the tall grass', and some have been recovered.
Police continue to make enquiries on the case to locate the other taken items.
A 35-year-old man will appear in Hamilton District Court on 13 January 2027 to face 26 charges, which relate to theft, deception and dishonesty.
To prevent incidents like this, Police provide advice for common types of scams and urge members of the public to exercise caution if the exchange of personal details or money in an online interaction: Scams and fraud | New Zealand Police
If you're victim of a theft or fraud-related incident, make a report to Police.
