KEY POINTS:
People are taking the law into their own hands to catch online criminals fencing thousands of dollars worth of stolen property.
In some cases violent exchanges occurred after frustrated victims of thefts tried to retrieve their stolen property from crooks posing as legitimate online sellers.
Managing director of
Paragon Investigations Ron McQuilter said stretched police resources meant little was done to help people who were finding their stolen items online.
"Fraud has not been a key strategy for police since 1999," he said.
"There's a guy who had his $10,000 car stolen and saw his wheels advertised online. I actually bought the wheels for $1800. We arranged to have them picked up and that resulted in a punch-up in [a] carpark in Auckland."
Before the fraudster was able to reach for an iron bar, the victim's father had "dealt to" the seller.
The father did not want to be identified but told the Weekend Herald the police had taken the man away.
However, nothing was done to help to recover the stolen car and its parts. He said the rest of the car was recovered thanks to his own efforts.
Mr McQuilter said the range of items being illegally traded online was limited only by a burglar's practicality.
Common black-market items included electronics, laptops, golf clubs, cars and their parts, counterfeit movies, CDs and clothing.
Burglars found website auctions attractive because better prices could be fetched online for stolen goods than any criminal "receiver" could offer.
Cyberspace provided fraudsters with a good deal of anonymity because email accounts were easy to set up and some prepay mobile phone plans did not require any registration or identification.
Parallel importing further complicated the market because it was hard to gauge whether items for sale were genuine or merely copies.
Police interest in dealing with fraudulent activity was limited because of difficulties in compiling evidence and bringing prosecutions.
This week it was reported that a New Zealand Qualifications Authority employee had sold at least 20 of the department's old computers on Trade Me, having acquired them from his employer for a bargain price. While it is understood no criminal investigation is underway, NZQA is reviewing the way old stock is disposed of.
Bigger companies were becoming increasingly vigilant about their own products being sold through website auctions, Mr McQuilter said.
Trade Me has a dedicated fraud unit of five people to protect its buyers, headed by ex-policeman Dean Winter.
Mr Winter said a new position in his unit was about to be advertised, an acknowledgment that as online trading grew, so did associated fraud activity.
"In the last 12 months we've been involved in prosecuting 41 offenders who have been convicted."
