Fraudsters hit Castle Hill plumbing manufacturer Aussie Pumps
Fraudsters are ripping off a northwest Sydney plumbing supplies manufacturer and creating a black market for expensive machines which cost $12,000 each.
Hills Shire
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Fraudsters are targeting plumbers across Sydney and flogging up to $150,000 worth of equipment stolen from a Castle Hill manufacturer, prompting a warning for tradies to be wary of discounted supplies.
Australian Pump Industries operations manager Hamish Lorenz said thieves had been on a spree since first hitting the Gladstone Rd business on August 16, when a $12,000 jetter was ordered using a fraudulent credit card.
Described as a modern electric eel, plumbers use jetters as drainage-cleaning machines with high-pressure water.
A fraudster struck Australian Pump Industries, commonly known as Aussie Pumps, again on August 19, when 11 jetters worth $135,000 were ordered using an existing customer’s account.
During that order, an impostor posed as an Onsite Rental Group employee and used his account with Aussie Pumps — raising fears the criminals work in the plumbing industry and are familiar with terminology and equipment.
Another incident was recorded at 7-Eleven a Croydon Park on August 23 when a plumber was offered to buy a jetter from the back of a van.
Hills detectives found the courier — who was hired from Airtasker — delivered the goods to an abandoned house at Padstow.
Mr Lorenz said three of Aussie Pumps’ clients at Seven Hills, Belrose and Strathfield were also ripped off by criminals who bought machines using stolen credit cards.
Despite the company not receiving payments from the fraudulent transactions, he said the company was suffering from the loss of its expensive machinery.
“I’d like the machines back but I don’t think it’s going to happen,’’ he said.
He fears the black market is “the tip of the iceberg” and some machines were being sold for half price at $6000 on WhatsApp.
“Jetters are becoming more and more popular as time goes by ... because of the efficiency of the machines,’’ he said.
“We want to get our machines back if we can but we want to alert everyone else not to buy a stolen machine because we’ve heard the machines are getting offered all around town.
“We want to make it as difficult as possible to sell them and for plumbers not to buy stolen machines.”
Mr Lorenz said the jetters were costly and took a long time to build using parts imported from Italy.
“We’re not making little machines they sell at Bunnings,’’ he said.
“They’re easy to use, they do a good job and you can get money out of them.
“We will be OK but it’s definitely hit us in the back pocket this time.
“It takes eight to 10 hours to make one machine.’’
Mr Lorenz said Castle Hill detectives were working with police at Bankstown, Granville and Moree in northern NSW where incidents have been reported.
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