Auckland Beneficiary Steals Thousands Posing as Spark Imposter

Auckland beneficiary Aman Kumar was sentenced in the Whangārei District Court on Friday, for posing as a Spark Broadband employee and conning thousands of dollars out of his victims' wallets. Kumar had previously been found guilty on two charges of theft, both occurring in 2021.

On the 16th of October that year, a victim received a call from a man claiming to be a Spark NZ representative, offering to help the victim fix her internet connectivity issues. During the conversation, the man coerced the victim into downloading an app that allowed him remote access to the device. Later that day, the man successfully connected to the device, transferring $4,800 to a bank account registered in Kumar's name.

The very same day, another victim called into Spark NZ to get help with their internet setup, and was advised that a member of Spark NZ would call them back. Again, the victim was successfully coerced into installing remote access software, and funds were transferred to Kumar's bank account - this time to the tune of $3,900.

The fact that the scammer was able to intercept the calls between the victims and Spark NZ raises a number of questions. While it is possible that both of the victims' connections had been intercepted on their respective ends, the fact that it happened twice in one day suggests it is Spark NZ themselves that have been compromised. Whether or not this is through software that is able to intercept calls, or a rogue Spark NZ employee, is unknown.

Three days after the two incidents, three men withdrew $4800 from Kumar's bank account at Sky City Casinos. However, Kumar was not one of the three men recorded in the CCTV images. It is believed that Kumar is simply part of a larger network of scammers. While the man who was on the phone is believed to be Kumar, the police were unable to prove that in court. However, Judge Keith De Ridder stated that even if the man on the phone had not been Kumar, he would not be any less culpable.

Kumar's lawyer, Timothy Leighton, told Judge De Ridder that his client was remorseful, claiming that "He got himself into a situation where he was being used by others." However, this did not mollify Judge De Ridder, who noted Kumar's connection to the other men involved. "This money went into your account and three unidentified people are seen withdrawing money from your account. They could only do this if you provided the account to them. Any suggestion you had a limited role is unsustainable. This was a moderately sophisticated operation you benefited from. You were part of a group involved in this escapade in respect of both incidents where money was stolen and went into accounts in your name. Your fingerprints are all over this." De Ridder said.

NOTE: In order to prevent similar scams, Alpha Safe recommends that you never accept a callback from any company, no matter how painful wait times may be. Phone numbers can be spoofed, so you are never guaranteed to be talking to the same company when they call back. Instead of reserving a place in a queue and hanging up, always ensure that you stay on the line.