Crypto
Puppies, cryptocurrency and offshore scammers: How one Kiwi became a money mule
Guy Behan-Kitto was involved in a scam that sold fake puppies online. Photo / ThinkStock
A man embroiled in a scam involving fake puppies, cryptocurrency and mystery offshore perpetrators has been pinged for money laundering – but he says he was a victim too.
Guy Behan-Kitto appeared in New Plymouth District Court earlier this week, facing a representative charge of money laundering relating to the scheme that ripped off multiple people of thousands of dollars.
The court heard the victims had responded to advertisements on Facebook and Buy and Sell listing puppies and car parts for sale. It’s likely the posts originated offshore.
Behan-Kitto, of Taranaki, aided the transactions by allowing the perpetrators to use his bank account to redistribute the money into cryptocurrency before it was moved overseas.
For his involvement, he received 10 per cent of all transactions.
Each of the fraudulent transactions occurred in December 2022 and began with a $200 payment from a victim who believed she was buying a puppy.
But after the payment was made, the victim was blocked from contacting the seller and the puppy was never delivered, nor the money reimbursed.
This was the modus operandi used in five further transactions.
They included $500 for a vehicle part, $400 for a puppy, $1000 for a puppy, $2700 for a sleepout and $460 for bullbars.
Another transaction involved a victim receiving a text message via WhatsApp from someone pretending to be their daughter.
The victim was asked to pay $4221.45 into Behan-Kitto’s bank account with the belief that their “daughter” needed the money urgently.
After the payment was made, the victim received no further communication from the sender.
In explanation for his offending, Behan-Kitto told police that his partner was contacted by an unknown person on Snapchat asking to use her account to purchase Cryptocurrency.
But he gave his bank account to the unknown person instead, the court heard.
At his sentencing, the court heard from the victim who lost $1000.
She had suffered mentally and financially, she said in a statement read by a victim advisor.
“I was so excited about getting a puppy.”
The woman said the seller used a “cute” photo and provided a personal story about the dog coming from a family.
She was angry with herself for not realising earlier it was a hoax, noting the number listed and the seller’s “pathetic spelling” and “use of the English language”.
“I should have immediately known that this was a scam but I didn’t until I sent the money.”
She tried to have the payment cancelled but was too late.
Crown prosecutor Holly Bullock argued the full loss to each victim should be paid by Behan-Kitto, rather than only the 10 per cent he had collected from each transaction.
But defence lawyer Josie Mooney disagreed, stating while he could pay the 10 per cent immediately, he could not afford the full amount.
Behan-Kitto also felt he was somewhat of a victim, Mooney said.
“There was a clear naivety on his behalf as to what exactly was being undertaken.”
Mooney said Behan-Kitto’s employment would suffer due to the conviction and that he felt terrible about what had happened to the victims.
“He was entirely unaware of this background, but it is accepted that he should have seen the red flags and he should have asked further questions and that’s where the guilty plea has come from.”
Judge Gregory Hikaka, however, ordered the full reparation amount.
He said without Behan-Kitto’s involvement, the victims would not be victims.
“Your offending robbed them.”
In addition to the reparation, Behan-Kitto was convicted and ordered to come up for sentence if called upon within the next 12 months.
Tara Shaskey joined NZME in 2022 as a news director and Open Justice reporter. She has been a reporter since 2014 and previously worked at Stuff where she covered crime and justice, arts and entertainment, and Māori issues.
An investment scam allegedly took $14 million from retail investors by connecting with them on social media and convincing them to fund accounts on fake crypto asset trading platforms.
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SUMMIT COUNTY, Ohio (WOIO) – A City of Green resident reported being the victim of a cryptocurrency investment fraud in early October, resulting in a significant financial loss and opening an investigation.
The Summit County Sheriff’s Office Detective Bureau initiated an investigation utilizing detailed information and financial records provided by the victim.
According to a release from the sheriff’s office, there was assistance from Jackson Township Police Department’s cryptocurrency recovery “Trace Team” and detectives were able to successfully trace and recover $110,000 of stolen funds.
The sheriff’s office reminds the public to remain alert regarding cryptocurrency investment scams and fake investment platforms.
These schemes often begin by encouraging small initial investments that appear to generate returns, creating a false sense of credibility.
The sheriff’s office said once trust is established and larger investments are made, the funds are frequently transferred and become inaccessible.
For public safety, people are encouraged to thoroughly search any investment opportunity and exercise caution when dealing with unsolicited or online investment platforms.
The release from the sheriff’s office says that if anyone believes they may be a victim of cryptocurrency or investment fraud, they should immediately contact their local law enforcement agency and file an online complaint with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov.
The Summit County Sheriff’s Office said it remains committed to protecting the community and working with partner agencies to investigate and combat financial crimes.
Copyright 2025 WOIO. All rights reserved.
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