Scam
Kamloops horse-owner claims latest scam targets hay market
KAMLOOPS - Since last summer’s drought, hay prices are on the rise and that may have led to a horse-owner and her daughter getting taken by what they call a scam while purchasing hay online. Crystal McKay says late last month, she and her mother put out a call for round hay bails on Kamloops...
Kamloops business owner falls prey to fake B.C. Hydro call
KAMLOOPS - A local business owner says his mother fell prey to a sophisticated phone scam working its way through the Interior. Min Vo owns a nail salon in Sahali and says his mother received a alarming phone call which caused her to panic on Monday, Nov. 2. “They contacted her and were claiming to...
Kelowna mother rattled by fake RCMP phone hoax
KELOWNA - Its a phone call no parent wants to get — a call from their son or daughter saying they’ve been in an accident, made twice as scary when the call supposedly comes from the RCMP detachment. “My son called and said he wasn’t having a great day,” a local mom says, who asked...
RCMP issue warning over persistent phone scammers in the Okanagan
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Residents are being reminded to watch for red flags if they get a call from someone claiming to be from Revenue Canada. Clues the call may be a scam include getting pressured by the person to pay taxes immediately over the phone, or being threatened that police will come and arrest them if...
Credit card skimmer discovered at Vernon gas station
DEVICE IS DIFFICULT TO DETECT VERNON - A device used to skim credit card information from unsuspecting victims might have been used at a Vernon gas station. Staff at the Esso Gas Station at 3400 32 St. in Vernon discovered the device Friday, July 31, and reported it to the RCMP. “The device was on...
RCMP warn of social media scam
KAMLOOPS - A scam using social media to get money out of unsuspecting victims saw one local senior citizen bilked of $300 this week. Kamloops Rural RCMP says a senior citizen was contacted through social media on May 20. She was told she had won a large sum of money and needed to wire $300...
Suspicious salesman going door to door in Kelowna
KELOWNA - A man going door to door on MacKenzie Road has raised suspicions in the neighbourhood. Const. Steve Holmes says a man claiming to be selling furnaces and hot water tanks was going door to door but had no company identification and refused to leave a business card or brochure. It seems he is...
Anti-bullying program legit, but RCMP not involved
"THE TELEMARKETERS ARE QUITE PUSHY IN THEIR ATTEMPTS TO GET PEOPLE TO SUPPORT THE (ANTI-BULLYING) CAMPAIGN" VERNON - RCMP say they are not behind numerous calls to residents asking for money to support an anti-bullying program, though the calls are legitimate. The Canadian Police Association has hired a contractor to campaign for donations for a...
Kelowna grandmother turns tables on phone scammer
KELOWNA – A 90-year-old grandmother was the target of an organized scam designed to pressure her into wiring almost $2,000 to get her grandson out of jail. The grandmother, who asked to remain anononymous, says a man called her at 11:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 6 and pretended to be her grandson. “I was already asleep,”...
Kamloops merchants asked to take precautions against this scam
KAMLOOPS - Local merchants are being asked to take extra precautions if approached by a man asking to check debit and credit card processing machines. The Kamloops Chamber of Commerce has issued a warning about a man feigning as an account review specialist. His business card states he is from Central Processing Canada, yet both...
North Okanagan residents warned of scammers
VERNON - Asked for money by phone, email, or in person, it doesn’t matter to the police — they’re reminding you to be cautious when handing over your cash. RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk says the detachment receives around a dozen calls from people scammed out of their money every week. “We are reminding people again...
Prolific fraudster at it again
KELOWNA - A man known as a serial scammer is believed to be behind the latest string of reports in Kelowna. Police investigators say it appears a 40-year-old Kelowna man with a long list of convictions appears to be at it again, often using the story of a broken down truck or claiming he's a...