The 32-year-old man was sentenced in Christchurch District Court on Thursday. Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon
An international scam artist will go behind bars for more than a year after racking up over $15,000 in unpaid hotel debts which police say unravelled years of deception.
Police were alerted to a hotel guest leaving without paying for his two week stay in a Christchurch hotel in June.
Hotel staff uncovered similar offending dating back to early May after alerting other hotels in the city.
The 32-year-old man was arrested before police identified three other hotels had fallen victim to the scam artist as well as multiple unsuccessful attempts.
He was charged with four counts of obtaining by deception and one related to not carrying out his obligations for a computer search.
He was sentenced in the Christchurch District Court on Thursday to one year and three months in prison.
Detective Sergeant Michael Freeman said it became apparent that the offending might not be limited to Christchurch, uncovering reports of similar hotel scams in Greece, Thailand, United Kingdom, Northern Ireland, and Cambodia.
"The man is alleged to have used different names, scamming many victims out of thousands of dollars by posing as a United Nations official procuring aid for charities linked to the war in Ukraine," he said.
"A few people have likened him to Frank Abagnale, the real-life inspiration for the film Catch Me If You Can."
He appeared to be a scam artist who had been victimising people all over the world for years, Freeman said.
The man had been convicted in the United Kingdom for theft and fraud as well as impersonating a paramedic with his own fake ambulance to 'befriend vulnerable people'.
He has also been accused of convincing a woman that she was being stalked when he was responsible for the intimidation while a man in Cambodia has claimed he was owed thousands of dollars after not being paid as an employee.
"This movie-like scenario doesn't happen to police often, so it is nice to see an offender be held to account for this type of offending," Freeman said.
"Immigration New Zealand and Interpol are now involved, and it is likely more information will surface."
Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
