An Auckland scrap metal dealer believes it has been the victim of a $200,000 scam after its copper wire shipment from China simply vanished.
The container, ordered by Manukau Scrap Metal and Cars Limited, arrived as expected in New Zealand but what was inside was not what they expected.
Scrap metal director Moana Turner is shocked. Her company spent almost $200,000 purchasing what it believed was 20 tonnes of copper wire.
"My initial thoughts would be, 'I want to kill somebody. This is not what we ordered. This is not what we wanted and this has totally screwed our company,'" says Ms Turner.
In May she purchased the copper from a company called Tianjin TYD Trading Co Ltd – a Chinese metal seller. The deal was managed by Ms Turner's Singapore-based broker, a man called John Wee.
Ms Turner's company sent an employee to China to oversee the loading of the copper into the container.
"[The] container was loaded while he was there, got sealed while he was there in his presence and we thought everything was sweet," says Ms Turner.
In June the order left China aboard a ship, stopping off in Singapore before arriving in Auckland earlier this month. Somewhere on journey the copper disappeared.
"Tianjin haven't heard anything, won't respond to emails and won't pick up the phone," says Ms Turner.
Mr Wee says he hasn't received commission for the deal.
Ms Turner believes her company has insurance but they now plan to go to the cops on Monday to track their copper down.
3 News
