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Police are conducting a review of a “$ 100,000 cash drop” event in central Auckland that promised “real money” but used mostly coupons that looked like banknotes.
Auckland Central Area Commander’s Acting Inspector Scott Gemmell said police were conducting follow-up investigations with event organizers, as well as reviewing the event.
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“At this early stage we are not in a position to comment further,” Gemmell said.
Meanwhile, four complaints have been filed with the Commerce Commission, a spokesperson confirmed Monday.
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“We are in the process of evaluating those complaints and have not yet formed an opinion on whether the promotion of the event may have violated the Fair Trade Law,” he said.
“In general, we again point out that the main message of any advertisement or promotion must be truthful. Advertisers and promoters cannot use fine print to correct a misleading overall impression. “
A spokesman for the Reserve Bank also issued a warning that it was illegal to post anything that looked like a genuine banknote, following the incident in which counterfeit $ 5 bills were raining down on people in Aotea Square.
The people who flocked to the event that took place on Saturday were angered, with out-of-pocket costs and injuries.
The Safety Warehouse event was touted as “New Zealand’s first massive cash crash”, with the promise of “real money” flying out of the sky to the tune of $ 100,000.
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Wayne Lynch and his partner at The Safety Warehouse cash drop event in Aotea Square
John Murphy spent $ 200 on travel and accommodation and in 10 hours on a bus from Levin, so he could be in Auckland for the promised raffle.
He called the event an “absolute disaster,” and said it was a masterclass on how not to run a cash raffle: “Scam people and completely ignore your own safety tips.”
He said they pushed him, pushed him and hit him on the head.
Until he was safely in his lodgings, he thought that the notes in his hands were the real deal; It wasn’t until he looked closer that he realized they weren’t $ 5 bills.
Now you have started a petition asking The Safety Warehouse to honor the coupons that people claim and exchange them for cash.
Safety Warehouse Managing Director Andrew Thorn said his staff was shocked by the event.
A staff member was taken to hospital after the glass of a rear window of the car was embedded in his eyes.
Thorn said the event had been “unfairly characterized” as one with fake money.
He said “royal funds” were given away, and he never expected that the inclusion of coupons would have created “so much hostility and a misunderstood narrative.”
Thorn said the coupons were added after risk assessments were conducted to help mitigate “offensive behavior between customers.”
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Counterfeit money shot into the crowd in Aotea Square.
He claimed that a few had ruined the tone of the day.
There was no intent to deprive, mislead or embarrass anyone of any demographic or race, ”Thorn said.
“It was the first of this stopover in New Zealand and unfortunately one group ruined it for everyone.
“The Safety Warehouse stands behind our marketing and what aired at the event.”
On The Safety Warehouse’s now-deleted Facebook page, more than 2,000 people registered their interest in the event.
The company said it had been a “huge year” for them.
“Kiwi [sic] they have had to fork out for personal protective safety equipment they never anticipated needing to purchase and Covid19 has made life for many families more difficult.
“We are the people’s company and we are proud of it, which is why we are dropping $ 100,000 in value from the sky at Aotea Plaza at 12pm on Saturday the 5th. Yes, REAL MONEY will fly from the sky,” he said.
