Sunshine Coast RCMP reported the following from Sept. 29 to Oct. 5:
• On Oct. 5, a Coast resident reported falling for a possible scam after receiving a call from a woman purporting to be the resident’s daughter. The crying woman told the resident she had been arrested. The woman then hung up and the resident received another call, this time from a male purporting to be the daughter’s lawyer. The supposed lawyer told the resident her daughter was in custody for impaired driving and that the resident needed to wire transfer a large sum of money to bail the daughter out. The “lawyer” told the resident she was now under a gag order and was not to discuss the file with anyone. The “lawyer” coached the resident to tell the bank she needed the money “for personal reasons” if she was questioned about the transaction request. All of these things are red flags that the resident initially ignored, and proceeded with the wire transfer. Fortunately, shortly after leaving the bank, the resident grew suspicious and spoke with police who advised her to cancel the transaction before the funds were accepted by the scammers. To learn more about this type of scam, a variation on the common “grandparents scam,” as well as other popular scams, and how to recognize them, please visit the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at www.antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca or the Better Business Bureau at www.bbb.org.
Theft
• Between Sept. 22 and Oct. 1, a suspect stole a late nineties model U-Bilt boat trailer from where it was locked and stored on Sakinaw Lake Road, Garden Bay. The grey coloured trailer had B.C. Licence Plate ULT26F on it. Anyone with any information about this incident is asked to contact RCMP, reference police file 2020-6986.
• On Oct. 5, a Coast resident who’d had a chequebook stolen several years ago and thought the bank had cancelled the missing cheques, was surprised to find that two of the stolen cheques resurfaced and had been cashed locally by two unknown persons. The bank reimbursed the resident, but police are continuing to investigate the fraudulent cheques.
Break and Enter
• Early on Oct. 2, a suspect was caught on security video entering a business property in the 5600 block of Cowrie Street, Sechelt, and stealing a number of corrugated roofing panels. The suspect, who was using a bike with an attached trailer to transport the items, was identified by police. Police located and recovered the stolen panels and are looking for the suspect. The file is still under investigation.
Collision
• On Sept. 29, police attended a two-vehicle incident near the intersection of Veterans Road and Carol Place, Gibsons, after the southbound vehicle crossed over into the northbound lane and struck a northbound vehicle, which then rolled backwards until it came to a stop some distance away on a rock pile. Fortunately, the head-on collision occurred at low speed so no life-threatening injuries were reported. However, both vehicles had to be towed from the scene and all the drivers and occupants were taken to Sechelt Hospital for assessment. It appears a medical issue may have caused the collision. The file is still under investigation.
• On Oct. 3, police attended a two-vehicle incident on Highway 101 near Conrad Road, Roberts Creek, after a southbound vehicle crossed over the solid yellow line on a bend in the road, and collided with a northbound vehicle. Fortunately, the vehicles glanced off each other, causing each one to spin out into the ditch. The southbound driver advised that his dog had hopped into the front seat and he'd been momentarily distracted trying to get it back into the rear seat, causing him to miss the curve in the road. The driver and passenger of the northbound vehicle were taken to Sechelt Hospital for assessment and treatment of non-life-threatening injuries and both vehicles had to be towed from the scene. The dog did not suffer any injury. The matter has been referred to ICBC.
Impaired Driver
• On Sept. 30, a witness reported a possible impaired driver in the 700 block of North Road, Gibsons. The suspect driver was exhibiting signs of intoxication from alcohol and was asked to take a roadside alcohol screening test. As the driver refused multiple times, the driver was issued a 90-day immediate roadside prohibition and her vehicle was impounded for 30 days. The matter has been referred to RoadSafetyBC.
• On Oct. 1, a witness reported a possible impaired driver swerving all over the road, even driving towards oncoming traffic in the 700 block of Gower Point Road, Gibsons. Police located the suspect vehicle and initiated a traffic stop. The driver, who was exhibiting signs of intoxication by alcohol, was given a roadside alcohol screening test. Based on the results, the Class 7 driver was issued a 12-hour driving suspension and a violation ticket for driving contrary to restrictions. The matter has been referred to RaodSafetyBC.
– Const. Karen Whitby, Sunshine Coast RCMP
