Fraudsters impersonating police officers scam senior in New Westminster, NWPD says
Police in New Westminster issued a warning Thursday after they say multiple suspects impersonating police officers defrauded a senior.
The New Westminster Police Department said the suspects spoke to the senior at her home and talked her into handing over several credit and debit cards, which were later used to make fraudulent purchases.
"This is deplorable criminal activity, targeting vulnerable people who badly need their hard-earned savings and pension income, by exploiting their trust of the police," Sgt. Andrew Leaver said in a news release. "I’d like to speak to these criminals directly; you should turn yourself in today."
The investigation is still in the early stages, and police are currently in the process of conducting interviews, as well as sourcing CCTV images of the suspects.
Police are asking the public to be vigilant and speak to friends and family members about this scam.
"The New Westminster Police Department would like to remind residents that before they open their front door to someone who is claiming to be a police officer, they can confirm the legitimacy of that claim by calling 911. Call takers will let you know if police officers have been sent to your location."
In an interview with CTV News, Leaver said people shouldn't be afraid to ask police officers for their name and badge number.
"If the person answering the questions is becoming evasive and doesn't want to give information to legitimize their presence, that right there is a red flag," he said.
"As the police, we know that we wear different uniforms even city to city… so it can be confusing for the public. We have units that wear business attire, we have units that wear street clothes."
"There's people out there taking advantage of the fact that people trust the police," he added. "So we'd love people to know that it's OK to ask those questions, and to question who it is they're talking to."
Anyone with information is asked to call the NWPD at 604-525-5411 and reference file number 2024-5516.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
House of Commons Speaker Greg Fergus survives vote calling for his ouster
Greg Fergus survived a vote to oust him as House of Commons Speaker on Tuesday, but with close to half of MPs expressing a loss of confidence in him, he faces a precarious path forward in maintaining order in Parliament.
'It was hell': Israeli mother held hostage with her children describes 51 days in captivity
Hagar Brodutch, her three children and four-year-old neighbour were kidnapped by Hamas-led militants from their home in Kfar Aza, Israel on Oct. 7 and held for 51 days. They were released in November, but Brodutch says her thoughts are never far from those still being held in Gaza.
'Unruly passenger' forces WestJet flight to make emergency landing in B.C.
A WestJet flight heading to Calgary had to make an emergency landing in northern B.C. Monday due to an incident involving an 'unruly passenger,' Mounties say.
P.E.I. kiteboarder 'lucky to be alive' after shark attack in Turks and Caicos
A professional kiteboarder from P.E.I. says he has been seriously injured in a shark attack that occurred while he was snorkelling in the Turks and Caicos Islands last week.
Teen dies after being hit by train in N.W. Calgary
A teenager has died after being hit by a train in northwest Calgary on Tuesday afternoon.
Black bear kebabs make family sick with parasitic worms
It was supposed to be a celebration, but one family’s unique meal of black bear meat sent several members to the hospital instead.
'It's his vacation too': Jimmy the baby goat joins 2-week road trip across Canada
After Jimmy the baby goat was shunned by his mother, a New Brunswick man took the kid on a two-week road trip across Canada.
The double-level airplane seat is back. This time, there’s a first-class version
It’s the airplane seat design that launched a thousand memes and kickstarted a media storm. And now the double-level seat is back – only this time, with a twist.
New COVID-19 subvariants become the dominant strains in Canada
More than four years after COVID-19 effectively shut down the world, two new variants of COVID-19 have become the dominant strains of the novel coronavirus in Canada.