Submitted by Sgt. Jeff Witzke
Columbia Valley RCMP
On April 21 the RCMP were called by an employee at a local gas station reporting that an elderly person had come to the store looking to purchase Apple gift cards.
The employee suspected the person was being scammed so they called the police. Members were able to locate the elder who was in fact being scammed online. The members provided the person with education on online scams. A shout out to the employee for recognizing this was a fraud.
The RCMP are seeing an increase in online scams where these fraudsters are requesting gift cards such as Apple, Google, Amazon, etc. The RCMP would like to make the public aware that there are several scams going around with these fraudsters pretending to be local phone companies, Canada Revenue Agency, and even family members and are requesting gift cards for payment. These are frauds! No companies are taking gift cards as payment.
The police have also noticed these fraudsters are targeting the elder population. It’s suggested that if you have any elderly family members, check in and educate them on these scams.
On April 26 the Columbia Valley RCMP were called to a collision between an ATV and a pick-up truck that occurred on Horsethief Road. The operator of the ATV sustained minor injuries and was taken to hospital by a passerby. Police are still investigating the incident.
