Police are warning the public to be on the lookout for fake raffle ticket sellers who are falsely claiming to represent local sports clubs.
There have been a handful of these incidents reported in Howick and Pukekohe this month.
Counties Manukau East Police area prevention manager, Inspector Rakana Cook, says the offenders are approaching people on the street and entering businesses.
“The offenders claim to be from local rugby or rugby league clubs, but the raffles they’re selling tickets for have already been drawn or are completely fake.
“We have also had a report of an offender entering businesses in the Cockle Bay area selling discounted fuel cards that are expired, and petrol stations won’t accept.”
Cook says police urge the community to be vigilant if they’re approached about a fundraiser in these circumstances.
“We know our communities get in behind their local sports clubs, so it’s pretty disappointing to see this being exploited,” he says.
“While it’s still only a small number of reports, we need the community to be wary of this scam.”
As the Times reported earlier this week, people are allegedly visiting business in east Auckland trying to sell “fake” raffle tickets and fuel vouchers on behalf of the Howick Hornets Rugby League Football Club.
Club captain Peter McInally alerted the Times to the situation on November 13.
“A butcher in Howick rang us and said they’d had someone come in and try to sell some raffle tickets,” he says.
“It was a blank book like you’d buy from a $2 shop. They were trying to sell raffles, saying they were from the Howick Hornets. That was about four or five days ago.
“The second instance, they rang us up saying people were trying to sell discount petrol vouchers.
“The people went to go and use them, but they didn’t work. The second case was at a pet shop.
“After the tickets got sold we asked around straight away because we thought, ‘this is weird, it’s off-season, why would people be selling?’
“We wanted to check to make sure it wasn’t part of the junior club and someone going out off their own bat to try to do some fundraising.
“Everyone came back and said, ‘we know nothing about it’.”
McInally says he hasn’t heard of anything similar happening to the club before.
“The world is changing. People are getting a bit more desperate for dollars or whatever. It just sounds a bit desperate.”
The club has posted a warning on its Facebook page about the situation.
“We have reported this to the police. Should you happen to be visited by these individuals, we would greatly appreciate if you could either do the same via 105, or contact us directly so we can update our report.
“Cheers very much to the vigilant locals who saw through the scam and made contact with us.”
The Times has been provided with CCTV images of a man who tried to sell raffle tickets on behalf of the Howick Hornets to a local business on Tuesday this week.
When asked by the staff, he would not say who he was working with at the club and the business he visited did not buy a raffle ticket from him.
People who have been visited by the people trying to sell the fake raffle tickets or fuel vouchers and who wish to alert the club can email howickhornetssecretary@gmail.com or contact police on 105 and reference the reference number 241113/2281.
Anyone who can help identify the man filmed by CCTV while trying to sell raffle tickets locally can contact Howick police on 09 362 1132.
Information can also be provided anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
