Police say they are making contact with the potential victims of 45-year-old Kiro Grozdanovski, whose lengthy criminal history now includes almost 100 charges. 

Grozdanovski allegedly used his most recently ill-gotten riches to buy six packets of roll-your-own tobacco, an iced coffee and some deodorant.  

The electronic transactions piqued the interest of police investigating the disappearance of a wallet from a man’s ute on Fisher Street, West Wollongong late Friday/early Saturday. 

The ute owner’s bank cards were allegedly used to make purchases at a 7Eleven on Crown Street and a supermarket on Gladstone Avenue, later Saturday. 

Police viewed CCTV footage from the stores and circulated images of a man wearing a NY baseball hat, a dark, hooded jumper with white writing and dark running shoes with white laces. 

They swooped on Grozdanovski’s McKenzie Avenue home three days later. While searching his bedroom, they allegedly found the credit cards, drivers’ licences, bank letters, superannuation letters and insurance policies of more than 100 people. Police also found handwritten details – people’s names, dates of birth, email addresses, account information, spousal information, phone numbers – as well as a small amount of the drug ice and the allegedly fraudulently obtained tobacco and store-bought items. 

Grozdanovski has been charged with three counts of dishonestly obtain property by deception, possess identity information to commit an indictable offence and possess prohibited drug. 

Magistrate Mark Douglass refused bail in Wollongong Local Court on Wednesday. 

The court heard Grozdanovski had been charged 37 times with almost 100 offences, including at least 63 fraud-related crimes that have resulted in jail time.

Wollongong Police District Commander, Superintendent Chris Craner said identity theft could become “a nightmare” for those targeted. “It can be financial and emotional,” he said. “In the coming days we will make contact with people we believe are potential victims, but today the investigators are just pleased to have made a quick arrest and assisted members of the local community.”  

The matter will return to court June 26.