Woman flew from China to carry out NZTA text scam

By Ella Scott-Fleming, Open Justice reporter

When a plumber received a text message telling him he had an unpaid road toll, he logged into what he thought was the NZTA website and entered his credit card details.

The next day, Qingle Liu, a woman with a gambling addiction who had recently flown in from China, took those details and used them to buy seven iPhones from three different retailers in South Auckland.

She then went to a petrol station and bought four $200 Prezzy Cards, cigarettes, a lighter and a bottle of water.

It was only a couple of days later, when the 63-year-old man checked his bank account, that he realised $16,690 had been spent at various shops around Auckland.

Now that man has told the court he feels embarrassment and self-blame for getting caught up in the scam and has to work for a year and a-half to pay back his losses.

The man’s victim impact statement was read out during Liu’s sentencing yesterday in the Auckland District Court on five charges of obtaining by deception.

The court heard the 26-year-old Chinese national became involved in the road toll text scam through “debt and dependency” and was a “minion” in a master’s operation.

She flew to New Zealand, specifically to carry out her role, and used multiple victims’ stolen card details to buy more than 20 iPhones and other items valued at nearly $90,000.

But, she was eventually caught when she used two victims’ cards to buy $17,000 worth of luxury items at the designer luggage store Louis Vuitton.

Unpaid road toll fees

According to the agreed summary of facts, Liu flew to New Zealand on July 18, 2025, on a visitor’s visa to carry out the scam.

A few days before, the first victim had received a text from what appeared to be the NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) saying a road toll fee was overdue.

The victim had recently been through a road toll area, thought the text was authentic and clicked on a link in the message.

The link took her to a website that looked similar to the NZTA’s and she entered her credit card details to pay the fake overdue fee.

There is no evidence Liu was involved in this part of the scam, the summary of facts said.

On the day Liu arrived in the country she went to a Noel Leeming store in Glenfield, Auckland, and, using the victim’s stolen credit card details, bought a $2199 iPhone.

She tried to buy another phone with the victim’s details but the transaction was declined.

Less than 10 minutes later, the woman went to a nearby petrol station and bought two $200 Prezzy Cards again using the victim’s card details.

She was seen on CCTV using her phone and its PayWave function to carry out the transactions.

That victim suffered a total loss of $2610.90.

A few days later, the plumber received a text claiming a road toll was overdue.

He had also recently been through a toll road and followed the link to a fake NZTA website and entered his credit card details.

More iPhones, Prezzy Cards

Around the same time, the third victim also received a fake road toll message and gave her details to the counterfeit website.

Liu used the woman’s credit card details to buy three iPhones and other items at shops around Auckland. She also made overseas transfers, spending just over $13,000 of the victim’s money.

A fourth victim lost $17,981.95 while a fifth lost $220.50 in the same scam.

Liu also bought nine iPhones from a Spark in central Auckland with other people’s stolen card details, costing a total of $21,591.

Caught during a luxury shopping spree

A month after buying the phones, Liu was at a luxury Louis Vuitton store and bought $17,310 worth of designer handbags and scarves.

She used the stolen credit card details of two victims in two separate PayWave transactions to buy the designer items.

Her high-end shopping spree and unusual payment methods were spotted by store security who alerted the police and Liu was caught.

The total amount stolen from all of the victims was $89,498.34..

When she was arrested, Liu claimed she was following the instructions of an “online friend” and placed the iPhones outside her home to be collected by a stranger.

At the time, she said she was unaware the credit card information was stolen but later pleaded guilty to the scam.

Embarrassment and self-blame for victim

During her sentencing, the impact on Liu’s second victim, the plumber who lost more than $16,000, was outlined in a statement, some of which was read out in court.

The bank was able to cover half of his loss but he had to borrow the rest from his family.

The family loans were now “hanging over” the self-employed man, who said he had to work for a year-and-a-half to pay back the loss.

The loss had affected his business and caused his whānau emotional harm.

He felt a level of embarrassment and self-blame and had lost trust in the “systems” the scam imitated.

A privileged upbringing

The court heard Liu was driven to become involved in the “trans-national” scam by loan sharks to cover her gambling debts.

However, Liu’s gambling and drug addictions had to be tempered by the fact she seemingly came from a privileged background, Crown prosecutor Ben Kirkpatrick said.

Kirkpatrick noted Liu had “significant” financial support from her family in the past, having studied in Australia for five years, and was supported by an aunt based in New Zealand.

Hers were different circumstances from most who came before the court, Kirkpatrick said.

Liu’s lawyer, Holly Aitken, said her client was still in touch with her family, but the lawyer was unsure whether the supportive family should have to “cop” any reparation sought.

A minion in a master’s operation

Liu’s lawyer said her client had become involved in the scam through “debt and dependency” and was at the bottom of its “chain of command”.

Aitken said an alcohol and drug report showed there was a connection between the woman’s drug and gambling addictions and her “poor judgment”.

But the Crown submitted the woman’s addictions hadn’t affected her overall ability to fulfil her role in the scam.

Aitken argued the causal “connection” wasn’t about Liu being impaired on the job, but that the woman took part in the scam to pay off her gambling and drug debts.

Liu was vulnerable, indebted and subjected to the criminal economy, social control and fear, Aitken said.

“She was really a minion in a master’s operation.”

Stealing from ‘responsible’ New Zealanders

Judge Lemalu Hermann Retzlaff noted the woman’s victims were “responsible” New Zealanders who were trying to do the right thing.

He said there was a high level of premeditation in this case, as Liu had come to New Zealand to be involved in the scam.

She sought out particular items as she was told and left them outside to be collected, he said.

The judge had read an apology letter from Liu that showed her remorse, but he said comments from the woman indicated she also knew something wasn’t right and carried on regardless.

Liu exerted commitment to the scam in a short period of time but was not involved in the “sophisticated lines of communication” that deceived the victims into giving their details.

For five charges of obtaining by deception, Liu was sentenced to two years, nine months’ imprisonment and ordered to pay back $8435.50 to the second victim.