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Resident scammed of large sum after ‘bad date’

Police Report
RCMP Generic

Sunshine Coast RCMP reported the following for June 22 to 29:


On June 25, a Sunshine Coast resident reported being defrauded a large sum of money after taking investment advice from someone he’d only met online on a popular dating app. As the situation developed, one of the “bankers” the resident was dealing with online ceased communications. The resident is likely not going to be able to recover his money. Police remind the public to do their due diligence when considering investing with anyone or any organization. To learn more about popular investment and other types of scams, please visit sites such as the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at https://www.antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca or the Better Business Bureau at www.bbb.org. 

 • On June 25, a Coast resident reported a fraud after receiving a large order from an international address. The “buyer” paid for the order on a credit card, but then asked the resident to not only use a shipping company of the buyer’s choice, but for the resident to pay for the shipping on the buyer’s behalf. The buyer told the resident he would then reimburse the resident for the shipping expenses. The resident arranged and paid for the shipping as requested, but once he notified the buyer, the buyer then attempted to charge back his credit card for the cost of the products ordered. Fortunately, the resident’s bank had already processed the order payment so the resident was only defrauded the shipping costs.

• On June 23, a Coast resident reported falling for a scam after receiving an email that appeared to be from a well-known business advising him that they’d noted he’d made a number of purchases. The email then directed him to call them to discuss the matter further. The resident called the number noted in the email, which was purportedly for a popular payment system, and was convinced to purchase a large number of Google Play gift cards to settle his account. Unfortunately, the resident provided the activation bar code information to the fraudulent payment system provider before realizing he’d been scammed

• On June 23, a Coast resident reported a scam after receiving a phone call from someone purporting to be with a law enforcement agency. The scammer told the resident that someone had rented a vehicle in the resident’s name, and that the rental vehicle had been located across the U.S. border, and that evidence inside the vehicle suggested a serious crime had taken place. The resident was told he’d have to confirm his identification and was asked for his personal information, including his Social Insurance Number. After providing the requested info, the resident realized he was being scammed and discontinued the call. The resident was provided with information about identity theft and encouraged to report the incident to his financial institutions and consider subscribing with a credit monitoring company. Please note that police will not call out of the blue and ask for this kind of information.

Vehicle Fire
• On June 27, police attended a suspicious vehicle fire near the intersection of Curran Road and Highway 101, Halfmoon Bay, after an empty burned out vehicle was left roadside with a large scattering of equipment and personal items outside it. Police received second hand information that an unknown witness had seen a male exit the vehicle and flee from the scene. While police attempted to identify and locate the driver, the driver himself attended the detachment the following day. The file is still under investigation.

Stolen Boat
• Overnight on June 24, a suspect stole an inflatable boat which had been attached by a yellow nylon rope to a larger sailboat moored in the waters at a marina near the 5400 block of Secret Cove Road, Halfmoon Bay. The stolen boat is described as a light grey Titan with a black three-horsepower Mercury engine attached. Anyone with any information about this incident is asked to contact RCMP, reference police file 2020-4001.

Mischief

• Overnight on June 25, a suspect broke a window in several spots on a vehicle parked in the 5300 block of Sinku Drive, Sechelt. Police were advised that at around 1:30 a.m., a tall person dressed in black and possibly wielding a hammer was seen in the area. Anyone with any information about this mischief is asked to contact RCMP, reference police file 2020-4030.

Sleepy Collision

• On June 23, police attended a single-vehicle incident in the 8700 block of Highway 101, Halfmoon Bay, after a southbound vehicle went off-road into the ditch. The uninjured, unimpaired driver could not explain what happened but a witness reported that the vehicle had slowly drifted to the right and suspected the driver may have fallen asleep. The vehicle was towed and the matter has been referred to ICBC.

Impaired Collision
• On June 27, police attended a possible impaired driver incident in the 6600 block of Norwest Bay Road, Sechelt, after a vehicle ended up in a ditch. Police located the uninjured driver outside the vehicle and noted the driver was exhibiting signs of possible intoxication from alcohol. The driver, who advised he’d attempted a U-turn on the road and ended up going into the ditch, was given and failed a roadside alcohol screening test. The Class 7 New driver was issued a 90-day Immediate Roadside Prohibition and his vehicle was impounded for 30 days. The matter has been referred to RoadSafetyBC.

Found Property

• On June 25, a cell phone found in Sechelt was turned in. Owner may claim within 90 days with detailed description. Please reference police file 2020-4035.

• On June 28, a Keats Island resident reported finding a kayak near shore. Owner may claim within 90 days with detailed description. Please reference police file 2020-4127.

• On June 26, while dealing with an unrelated matter at a residence in the 700 block of North Road, Gibsons, police located some plants and equipment that had tags from a local business on them. The items were confirmed to have been stolen from the business a few days prior. The file is still under investigation.

Const. Karen Whitby, Sunshine Coast RCMP