AUCKLAND: The sentencing of three fraudsters has finally put to bed Charles Parsons’ entanglement in an episode of electronic crime.
The textile supplier fell victim in 2006 to a group of ‘professional’ criminals who gained fraudulent access to $NZ400,000 of the company’s money. On Friday, June 4, three of those who had been found guilty of committing fraud against the company were finally sentenced in Auckland District Court.
Charles Parsons group managing director Andrew Mills told Ragtrader he was pleased with the outcome. Mills was managing director of Charles Parsons New Zealand when the offences took place.
“I’m quite glad they’ve been convicted because it was premeditated and professional and these people had been operating for quite some time in this manner,” Mills said. Those guilty in the case are not able to be named due to legal reasons.
According to media reports from New Zealand, the criminal activity committed against Charles Parsons started when a woman was hired to work in the company’s Auckland branch. This woman later assisted other non-employees of the company to gain unauthorised access to Charles Parsons funds.
“There were 12 people involved,” Mills said. “They weren’t all working at the company, only one was working in the company. They had operated in this format in at least six or seven companies, to my knowledge.”
Mills said the unauthorised weekend transfer of funds was picked up by the company on the following Tuesday.
“They were essentially trying to transfer it out and away by pretending to be payments to our suppliers, which we knew were falsified, and which we caught,” he said.
He added that all stolen funds had been returned. “None of our customers or ourselves are out of pocket.”
Mills said he was pleased with Charles Parsons’ security measures and extended his thanks to all customers who had been affected by the criminal activity for their understanding. The company also has offices in Sydney.
Erin O’Loughlin.