Police are warning of the re-emergence of an old scam. A local Campbell River resident was advertising an item for sale on the internet. A response was received from someone out of the country interested in purchasing the item. The purported buyer sent a cheque via UPS courier for over double the asking price.
The seller noted that some of the shipper information was incomplete and that their address was incorrect. The buyer then advised via email that they had overpaid and asked to have the cheque cashed and the outstanding money sent back to them through a Western Union money transfer. The buyer wisely checked in with the bank and discovered that the cheque was fake. Anyone who was unaware and cashed the cheque and sent the money would then be out of pocket for that amount. This scam has been making the rounds for years and targets any listings of items for sale and is referred to as “phishing”. For more information on scams and frauds go to www.phonebusters.com or www.antifraudcentrecentreantifraude.ca.
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FALSE GUN SCARE AT AIRPORT
At 0810 hours the Campbell River RCMP responded to an urgent assistance call at the Campbell River Airport. Airport security had identified what appeared to be a firearm while conducting an x-ray scan of a departing passenger’s bags. Upon police attendance and subsequent examination of the bag the item was found to be a “boot jack” or long shoe horn. The item was removed from the bag and the passenger and flight departed per routine.
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DANGEROUS LASER MISCHIEF
A commercial driver reported that he was traveling north bound on the Inland Island Highway operating a fuel tanker.
As he approached the Airport Main over pass he had three laser lights pointed at him. The colors were red, green and white. The lights affected his eyesight and he was forced to pull over his rig. A second driver was required to attend and safely remove the rig from the area. The lights were likely coming from the overpass. Those responsible may have been on dirt bikes.
The driver reported that his vision was getting better. Anyone with information on this incident is asked to contact their local RCMP Detachment or Crimestoppers
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In the last week there has been an increase in calls about vehicles speeding through school zones. With the nicer, sunnier weather motorists are asked to watch their speed and slow down in school zones and playground zones. Kids will also be out enjoying the weather and are not always paying attention to traffic.
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In the last week police responded to 297 calls for service. Police dealt with three impaired drivers and issued four 24 hour driving prohibitions, one for drug consumption and three for alcohol consumption. As part of the ongoing crime reduction strategy and prolific offender management program Campbell River RCMP checked 23 known offenders who are on curfew or house arrest conditions imposed by the Courts.