A BURNSIDE Heights man has been charged following an investigation into a series of alleged fraudulent deliveries and scams on the Mornington Peninsula and Melbourne’s south east.
The 57-year-old man self-presented at Sunshine Police Station where he was subsequently charged on Thursday March 2 with 22 counts of obtaining property by deception and two counts of attempt to obtain property by deception.
The charges follow incidents where businesses and residences reported being approached by someone purporting to be a delivery driver who required cash up front before goods could be provided. However, the man allegedly left with the money without handing over any items.
The man is also alleged to have sold goods at bargain prices before fleeing with cash without handing anything over.
It is understood the incidents occurred at properties in Dromana, Pakenham, St Albans, Sydenham, Flemington, Prahran, Thornbury, Werribee, Gisborne, South Morang, Briar Hill, Macleod, Broadford and Seymour throughout December 2022 and January 2023. He has been remanded to appear before Sunshine Magistrates’ Court on 20 March.
First published in the Southern Peninsula News – 7 March 2023
