Police in B.C.'s Fraser Valley are warning residents about contractors whose customers have been threatened with violence, sexual assaults and even hints about connections to the Irish Republican Army.
Abbotsford police Const. Ian MacDonald told ctvbc.ca that they received two complaints within hours of each other on Aug. 19. The first incident was reported in Abbotsford, the second in Langley. In both cases, a local paving company had recently done work for the callers.
"Both complainants said they had received phone calls demanding money for paving work not yet completed," said MacDonald.
In each case, police say the caller spoke with an accent believed to be Irish, and knew that payment had not been fulfilled. When the client said the work was of poor quality or not yet finished, the caller would begin to make threats.
"The caller said that if the person failed to pay the balance owed then bad things would happen to them. Horses would be poisoned, family members would be hurt, and in one instance, the caller reported to be previously in contact with the IRA and had orchestrated child suicide bombings before," noted MacDonald.
Each of the calls were traced back to pay-as-you-go phones with no names associated to them.
Police can not tie the paving company to the threatening phone calls, so the name of the paving company cannot be released, but MacDonald said it is enough to advice locals.
"The public should be warned to do reference checks on any contractors you hire, and know who you're conducting business with," MacDonald added.
The contractual problems between the paving company and the residents could have been solved in small claims court, but it's the nature of the phone calls that triggered police involvement, said MacDonald.
