A woman who produced a false bank statement showing she earned $1000 a week in order to get a loan for a $30,000 car was really a beneficiary involved in an elaborate scam.

But, instead of securing a car or large chunk of cash, Rebecca Siakifilo has ended up with a conviction for her role in targeting loan companies.

Siakifilo pleaded guilty to one charge of obtaining by deception in August and was recently sentenced in the Whangārei District Court for her involvement in the swindle that was eventually uncovered by police.

Siakifilo became involved with another co-offender who is currently before the courts, as part of an alleged scheme providing false details to finance companies under the pretence they were purchasing vehicles. One posed as the seller while the other posed as the buyer.

On May 11, 2020, Siakifilo applied to a finance company listed as the purchaser of a Ford Ranger priced at $30,000 advertised by her co-accused as the seller.

On her application, Siakifilo stated she was an office administrator and produced a fake First Union bank account statement showing she had an income of $1000 per week when she was, in fact, a beneficiary.

As a result of the falsified documents, her car loan was approved and $30,000 was paid from the loan company to the co-accused as the alleged seller of the motor vehicle that did not exist.

Weeks later, the co-accused and alleged head of the scam ring transferred $5000 to Siakifilo, allegedly keeping the rest for herself.

It is alleged the co-accused targeted multiple finance companies and scammed hundreds of thousands of dollars and Siakifilo’s lawyer, Adam Pell, said, although his client was not involved in the actual fraud, she was involved with what happened.

Siakifilo spent three-and-a-half weeks in custody and, on release, moved towns to get away from the others involved. Both the Crown and Judge John McDonald accepted that, in terms of Siakifilo’s culpability, she was at the bottom of the ladder.

She was sentenced to 200 hours of community work and ordered to pay $5000 reparation.

One other person has pleaded guilty to be sentenced for his role in the offending and another pleaded not guilty and elected a trial by jury to be heard early next year.

Shannon Pitman is a Whangārei-based reporter for Open Justice covering courts in the Te Tai Tokerau region. She is of Ngāpuhi/ Ngāti Pūkenga descent and has worked in digital media for the past five years. She joined NZME in 2023.