Shoulder surfers still on the prowl

Noel Karora
Noel Karora
A pair of thieves have allegedly stolen tens of thousands of dollars from older Otago residents in an offending ''blitz''.

Southern police yesterday again called for help from the public to find Paul Hemana Tipene and Noel Junior Karora (both 36). Police have been looking for them for more than a month.

The pair are wanted in relation to thefts and dishonesty offences in Dunedin, Central Otago and Southland, Detective Sergeant Stu Harvey, of Invercargill, says.

Paul Tipene
Paul Tipene
Warrants had been issued to arrest Karora and Tipene for more than a dozen offences.

The pair are allegedly prolific ''shoulder-surfers'' and are also wanted in relation to rest-home thefts and a burglary of $4000 from an Arrowtown hotel.

Older people were targeted in shoulder-surfing thefts, where one offender watches a person input an eftpos pin number and later steals the eftpos card.

An 84-year-old man in Queenstown was targeted in one case, Det Sgt Harvey said.

''They are deliberately targeting older people, because they are more vulnerable.''

People aged in their 70s had been targeted in Dunedin, along with an 83-year-old in Invercargill.

The total value of thefts linked to the pair was now ''into the tens of thousands of dollars, easily'', he said.

The pair were following older people around supermarkets and watching them enter their eftpos pin numbers at the checkout.

Tipene and Karora would then follow the target into the car park or to their home, where the offenders would distract the target and steal their eftpos card, Det Sgt Harvey said.

After the cards were stolen, the pair would ''go on quite a blitz'' of spending.

The pair had family links to Dunedin and connections to the North Island. They were suspects in the burglary of a rest-home in Christchurch about a week ago and police believed they might still be in the South Island, specifically Otago or Southland.

''If anyone has any information that could assist please contact your nearest police station. If you see either of them please call us immediately on 111,'' Det Sgt Harvey said.

Information can also be provided anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

 

 

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