Amanda Arnold used disguises to fraudulently take items from Macarthur Square

A woman who police claim used wigs and disguises to hide her identity from CCTV while allegedly defrauding stores out of thousands of dollars avoided being caught for three years.

A woman who used false credit cards to fraudulently take $1000 worth of goods from a popular south west Sydney shopping centre managed to get away with her elaborate ploy for three years.

Amanda Arnold, 33, faced Campbelltown Local Court on Monday facing 23 charges relating to multiple alleged frauds using other people’s credit cards.

Arnold, who also goes by the name of Amanda Darcie Leigh Comer, pleaded guilty to 12 counts of dishonestly obtain property by deception, one charge of make and possess equipment to make false documents and one counts of dishonestly obtain financial advantage by deception.

Amanda Arnold, otherwise known as Amanda Darcie Leigh Comer, pleaded guilty to defrauding the Shaver Shop at Macarthur Square. Picture: Facebook

The charges relate to an instance in April 2018 when the 33-year-old went to Macarthur Square with two friends and decided to buy two Dyson hair dryers from the Shaver Shop.

Arnold used the EFTPOS machine to pay the $998 before asking for a refund, court documents state.

“Oh s**t I paid with the wrong card. I have loans and repayments coming out of this one. Can you refund it and I’ll pay with a different card,” she said, according to court documents.

Court documents state the worker suggested she have a friend transfer the money but Arnold insisted on the refund and then entered a memorised card number manually into the machine, causing the funds to be deducted from someone else’s account while “pretending to insert her own card”.

Moments after leaving the store Arnold returned and told the worker her friend used her card to “pay for his shaver”, court documents state.

“Can I refund the Dysons back onto my card and use his card to pay?” she said.

Amanda Arnold allegedly used wigs and disguises while defrauding shops. Picture: Facebook

The worker became sceptical as Arnold emptied her handbag onto the floor to try and find her bank card, saying: “He’s a f**king idiot I can’t believe he did that, I need that money in that account,” according to court documents.

She refunded the $998 onto Arnold’s card and she again manually entered a memorised card number belonging to another person before leaving the store with the products.

In the following days the retail worker reviewed the CCTV footage of Arnold and contacted police after realising she had entered manual card numbers.

According to court documents police made numerous attempts to speak with the 33-year-old but regarding her version and claim she had been “actively avoiding police”.

“It appears as though the accused has come into possession of multiple identity documents which possess names of others, however display a photograph of her,” court documents detail.

Amanda Arnold appeared at Campbelltown Local Court on Monday. Picture: Facebook

“Police submit she was actively avoiding police with the assistance of these identity documents and altering her appearance with wigs to avoid detection on CCTV.”

Campbelltown Local Court on Monday heard since the charges in 2018, Arnold has been hit with further nine charges of dishonestly obtain property by deception and one charge of deal with identity information to commit indictable offence.

Court documents reveal she had more than 30 identity documents, allowing her to commit the alleged crimes over the span of three years.

The further charges are alleged to have occurred on the south coast, beginning in March 2020 at Shoalhaven Heads Pharmacy when she allegedly picked up $191.50 worth of products.

When she was required to enter her PIN number into the EFTPOS, Arnold allegedly used the machine to make the amount $1909.95, which requires a signature rather than a PIN to be approved, processing the transaction without the knowledge of the worker.

The owner of the credit card, who resides in Western Australia, was contacted by police and froze the credit card.

Amanda Arnold avoided police for three years. Picture: Facebook

When Arnold allegedly handed the machine back to the worker she claimed she had been overcharged, with the worker believing her and issuing a refund, according to court documents.

Court documents state Arnold provided a different credit card for the refund, where she was given two amounts of $300 and was asked to give bank details to the manager for the rest of the payment.

On the same day, Arnold allegedly went to the Shoalhaven Heads Caltex where she picked up a total of $193.80 and paid with the same victim’s card details and processed it with a signature.

In July Arnold allegedly went to the Wyee Nursery where she again changed her total payment from $193.68 to $1936.88 and manually entered a card number, according to court documents.

She returned to the store shortly after leaving claiming to be overcharged, with the cashier allegedly refunding $999.99 and $760.21 onto a different card.

Later that day Arnold went to Sunset Surf at Morisset where she allegedly walked through the store for 40 minutes and paid for $699.56 worth of clothes with a visa card.

According to court documents Westpac contacted the family-run store and advised it had been a victim of fraud, with the business now out of pocket $699.56.

Amanda Arnold allegedly defrauded shops on the South Coast. Picture: Facebook

On July 17, 2020, Arnold ordered $174 worth of food from Kanwal Chinese Kitchen at Kanwal, with the 33-year-old taking the machine and allegedly changing the purchase amount to $1740.

According to court documents, a staff member refunded the $1740 onto a different card used by Arnold. St George Bank later contacted the restaurant disputing both payments.

In September Arnold wandered into Moruya IGA where she allegedly made an unauthorised payment on a card that did not belong to her of $175.87.

Later that same evening she allegedly made another unauthorised payment for $770.99, before returning days later to make an unauthorised payment of $1071.83 and $125.15.

According to court documents Arnold allegedly went to the Moruya Thai Restaurant in September where she ordered a takeaway meal of $126.50 and again changed it to $1265.00.

After disputing the amount, Arnold was allegedly given $1100 in cash from the till.

All organisations that allegedly fell victim to the 33-year-old’s fraud are seeking compensation for lost stock and cash.

Arnold is due to appear in court on July 5 where she will be sentenced for the Macarthur Square charges and will enter pleas in relation to the south coast allegations.