Freebie thrills for student scammers

Details of how to pull minor scams on high-profile companies Air New Zealand, SkyCity and its Village Cinemas, New Zealand Post and Wilson Parking are published in today's edition of the newspaper iBall - but the paper says it's outlined the rorts to stop them, not encourage them.

The English-language, Chinese-focused iBall reveals how scammers:

* Avoided paying $18 to go up the Sky Tower by booking for the tower restaurant then cancelling.

* Flew Air NZ domestic on reduced rates by booking child tickets (under 12) on the internet, getting their boarding passes electronically and carrying hand luggage only.

* Used a "return to sender" ploy to send letters without stamps.

* Viewed blockbuster movies for $4.25 each by buying tickets for cheaper films then sneaking into the higher-priced ones.

* Claimed purchase-related free parking by scouring rubbish bins for till receipts.

Co-editor Lincoln Tan, who wrote the story, said all but one of the scammers were Chinese on student or temporary work permits.

They were not short of cash, he said, but enjoyed the "cheap thrill" of beating the system.

The scammers told him they viewed New Zealand law enforcement as slack and felt there would be little chance of being caught.

"They think if they do get caught, they'll just get a slap on the hand."

Mr Tan said he revealed the scams to stop them. "There are a lot of young Asians doing this here."

As migrants to NZ from all over Asia tended to get lumped together, "these actions reflect quite badly on the rest of us".

The people involved seemed unrepentant, said Mr Tan.

One was quoted as saying car costs were so high that people "have to find ways to minimise our cost. I know doing this is not right, but I don't think it's a major crime, and everybody else is doing it anyway".

The companies involved were unamused, with spokesmen saying scams involving even small amounts were still fraud.

New Zealand Post spokesman Ian Long said the company "would like to think that 99.99 per cent of the population are honest and would pay for a service they are looking for".

Air New Zealand was "fully aware" of the scam, said spokesman David Jamieson, and would take action against anyone caught.

A SkyCity spokesman said: "If we find situations of this nature to be an issue, we will take further steps to eliminate the opportunity."
Wilson Parking general manager Stephan Wuffli said the company had already started working on ways to beat the cheats.