Christchurch model duped by global money scammers

A Christchurch man's vanity made him the pawn in a world-wide scam after con-artists offered him a fake modelling contract over the internet.

The scammers contacted the 30-year-old man through a social networking site, telling him an agency wanted to feature his face on a series of adverts in the London Underground.

They then sent him counterfeit travellers cheques, apparently suggesting a photo shoot in Wellington, Detective Richard Corkin said.

The aspiring model cashed the cheques at the bank, and after taking his commission, transferred the remainder of the cash through Western Union to a contact in England.

The bank became suspicious when the man cashed a second bundle of travellers cheques the next week and alerted police.

Mr Corkin said that the social networking site which the man unwittingly accessed was "not one of the familiar ones".

"The people who log onto these sites are usually trapped by their vanity - they upload photos of themselves, then someone comes along and tells them they should be a model and offers them work."

Though this scam was the first police in New Zealand had come across, authorities overseas knew it, and its permutations, well, he said.

European police and American Express investigators believed the scammers seemed to be based in either China or South America, Mr Corkin said.

He said the Christchurch victim was a totally innocent party - with no previous convictions".

"He had even waited at the bank for 15 minutes while we got there - usually a sure sign someone doesn't know what is going on."

Mr Corkin said the travellers cheques were fairly obviously forgeries, if the person knew what they were looking for.

The man had already cashed one batch at a bank. The man had reached an agreement with the bank about paying the money back, he said.

Mr Corkin advised would-be models and billboard stars to be careful, as those tricked into acting as a conduit could also be charged.

"If it looks too good to be true, it probably is. And don't let your vanity get the better of your common sense."

- NZPA