A man who allegedly defrauded a 92-year-old East Geelong woman of more than $15k has been slapped with over a dozen charges.
Police say the 27-year-old man rang the woman in April, posing as an employee from an Australian bank.
The man allegedly asked the woman to put her PIN number and bank card inside an envelope, before he visited her home and took the envelope from her letterbox.
Investigators believe the card was used at a Corio shopping centre and a number of finance institutions across Melbourne, transferring more than $15k to offshore accounts.
Police eventually executed a search warrant at his Truganina address on Thursday this week, seizing more than $17k worth of stolen goods.
The goods reportedly included another 10 bank cards possibly belonging to other victims, almost $4k in cash, five smart phones and six smart phone vouchers valued at $13k.
The man was arrested at his home and charged with up to 15 dishonesty related offences, he was bailed to face court in Werribee in November.
“Preying on the most vulnerable among us is a particularly heartless crime, and we remain steadfast in our commitment to pursuing anyone involved in financial fraud,” Geelong Crime Investigation Unit Senior Sergeant Mark Guthrie said.
“We encourage anyone who has been subject to any type of scam to speak to police.”
Investigators will continue to search for other victims in relation to the investigation.
Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
