Door-to-door scam: Someone is pretending to collect cash in Kelowna for cancer charity, police say

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April 21 update: Police have since issued a correction saying Mounties confirmed this was not a scam. Read more here.

Someone is going door-to-door in Kelowna, claiming to be collecting money for a cancer-related charity and then pocketing the cash, police say.

Mounties are warning the public about a scam reported in the Okanagan city last week.

They say they were called to Denali Drive on April 11 after someone started knocking on doors. They were told the man, who called himself "Ella," said to residents he was raising money on behalf of a cancer foundation.

It was reported that the man, who was about 25 and spoke with an "Eastern European accent" was particularly pushy, and said he would only accept cash.

He was wearing a blue and yellow jacket and jeans at the time, officers said in a news release Tuesday.

It is unclear what he planned to do with the "donations," or whether he made off with much money.

Police said they were called by someone who got suspicious and refused to hand over any cash. The quick-thinking potential victim called a reputable cancer foundation, and a spokesperson confirmed to them that the foundation doesn't do any in-person fundraising.

Officers are warning the public to take the time to "do your homework" and find out if a cause is legitimate before making a donation.

Any suspicious persons or activity can be reported to the RCMP at 250-762-3300.

The Kelowna detachment pointed those looking to learn more about scams to a provincial government website with links to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre and the Better Business Bureau.

The province warns that a person who falls for a scam may never be able to get their money back, so the best defence is education. 

Those who've been a victim of fraud are asked to report it. Data posted by the Anti-Fraud Centre suggested approximately 8,000 Canadians lost $75.5 million to scammers in the first two months of this year.