Dunedin and Auckland Police have made an arrest over an alleged romance scam that has spanned nearly two decades.
Over this period an unsuspecting Dunedin man has lost more than half a million dollars.
Today, Dunedin Police executed a search warrant at an Auckland property, assisted by the Auckland City Financial Crime Unit.
A 44-year-old Ellerslie woman was arrested and faces a representative charge of obtains by deception.
“Police will allege in court that this scam has run for a period of 18 years, beginning online in 2006,” acting Detective Senior Sergeant Ali Ramsay, from the Auckland City Financial Crime Unit, says.
“The offender in this case has allegedly obtained $525,537 through this elaborate scam.”
The woman is expected to appear in the Auckland District Court on 17 February 2026.
Acting Detective Senior Sergeant Ramsay says being able to put an alleged offender before the Court is a good outcome.
“Our colleagues in Dunedin have been investigating this case, and we’re glad to have assisted in this result,” she says.
“Romance scams are usually perpetrated by offshore offenders, making prosecutions difficult for law enforcement.
“At the very heart of this are victims whose good nature is taken advantage of, causing emotional and financial stress.”
Police are unable to comment further about specifics in the case as matters are now before the Court.
Police remind the public to be extremely cautious when meeting new people online or through dating applications.
Image credit: Anete Lusina
Sorry for anyone caught up by something like this. Tools for scammers are multitudinous and freely available. Our laws should be brought into line with the reality- scammers can and will impersonate a trusted or close friend, professional or loved one. India has just made it mandatory to label all AI generated content. https://www.communicationstoday.co.in/india-orders-strict-labels-on-ai-generated-content-from-february-20-2026/
Our lawmakers should be scrambling to do the same, imo.
Bro finally got tired of the friend zone.