Scam artists posing as Christchurch earthquake collectors have prompted police to issue warnings for residents to be on the look out for opportunist criminals.
A man was reported to have tried to get coffee and nappies from Alexandra businesses yesterday, claiming the goods were for an earthquake appeal.
It was "abhorrent" someone would take advantage of a national tragedy, Sergeant Ian Kerrisk said.
The man approached several businesses, without success, and police were satisfied it was not a genuine bid to help those affected by the earthquake, Sgt Kerrisk said.
They wanted to hear from anyone with information about the man and his approaches.
Sgt Kerrisk said any donations to the earthquake appeal should be made through the Salvation Army or Red Cross "and they do not have collectors on the street knocking on doors".
A pedestrian was approached in South City, Invercargill by a bogus Salvation Army member yesterday afternoon, who said they were "collecting" for the the Christchurch earthquake, Senior Sergeant Maggie Windle, of Invercargill, said.
The collector was aged 40, 170cm tall, of medium build and of tidy appearance, with a light moustache and a well-trimmed goatee beard.
He was wearing wire-framed sunglasses.
Police were reminding the public to be aware of opportunists and, if in doubt, to ask people for official identification Snr Sgt Windle said.
Sergeant Paul McLaughlan, of Dunedin, said a transient Invercargill man, who posed as a quake victim, was sheltered, fed and given cash by an elderly woman on Thursday.
"There are a number of low-lifes out there who will take advantage of a situation like this."
The man was removed to a homeless shelter and spoken to by police.
A fraudster operating in the Kapiti area has been claiming that he was a Christchurch earthquake victim.
The man approached parents dropping their children at school on Thursday, saying he was a victim of the Christchurch earthquake and needed money to travel home.
The Ministry of Consumer Affairs was also warning of an email scam directing people to a fake Red Cross website that asked unsuspecting people for their credit card details.
The site had "Christchurch" spelt incorrectly, the web address was long and not hosted on the official Red Cross website, and the payment page was not secure.
The official Red Cross website is www.redcross.org.nz.
The ministry was warning people more scams were expected over the coming weeks.
