Suspected traveling fraudsters active in Okanagan

Kelowna RCMP are on the lookout for a team of fraudsters travelling the Okanagan and pretending to have disabilities.

They went to multiple stores seeking donations in a suspected charity scam, claiming to be deaf, according to a Kelowna RCMP media release.

Two women and two men attempted to dupe people at least two stores in the Okanagan, but police believe they're the same suspects who attempted similar schemes in Lake Louise and Banff earlier this month.

Two women approached a person in the parking lot of a business on the 3600 block of Carrington Road on March 17. They had blue clipboards and claimed to be deaf, asking for cash toward a charity.

The person was suspicious and declined, later catching the pair speaking to each other "seemingly without disability." When another bystander came by and they asked for money, they sounded as if they had difficulty speaking again, RCMP said.

The next day, two men and two women went to multiple malls in the Vernon area, again claiming to have a disability and seeking donations. It wasn't just cash they were looking for, however.

"The four are also believed to be working together simultaneously distracting mall employees while another managed to steal five Apple iPhones from one particular store location," the news release read.

Lake Louise RCMP started investigating similar schemes on March 8, when the fraudsters asked for donations toward a fake charity. The form they carried said they want to open an "international centre" to support "hearing oppressed people and for poor children."

Police are asking anyone with information or interactions with these suspects to reach out to the Kelowna detachment at 250-762-3300, noting that investigators are looking for a description of the vehicles they are driving.

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