The theft of more than $100,000 through getting elderly people to open up their wallets has led to a man being handcuffed by cops and hauled across Australia.
The 38-year-old man has been extradited from Western Australia for allegedly being part of a group scamming dozens at multiple shopping centre in NSW across a six-week period.
Investigators were tipped off in March about elderly people, particularly women, being told by a stranger hoodwinking them they had dropped cash or their wallet.
When they opened their wallet to check, a second person stole their bank cards that were later used to conduct fraudulent transactions.
Police received nearly 40 reports from the South Coast to Grafton and several suburbs across Sydney, with more than $100,000 in proceeds stolen.
One of the alleged offenders in the scamming operation was arrested and escorted to Sydney from Perth with the aid of Western Australian Police on Wednesday.
He was refused on bail on Saturday, with investigations under Strike Force Danube ongoing.
In January, NSW Police arrested two Romanian nationals, with possible links to criminal syndicates, for allegedly stealing about $50,000 from elderly drivers in shopping-centre car parks.
Australian Associated Press