Mounties in North Vancouver are warning the public about a telephone prankster who has been targeting hotels and restaurants in the city.
Cpl. Peter DeVries says a number of chain restaurants were contacted overnight by someone posing as a sprinkler maintenance man or a fire marshal.
In each case, the caller tried to convince an employee to take steps that would ultimately set off the restaurant's sprinkler system – resulting in serious water damage at a McDonald's on Marine Dr. and a fire truck being dispatched to a Subway down the road.
Similar calls have been made to a number of local hotels, where the prankster will ask to be patched through to a randomly supplied room number.
The calls can cause hundreds or even thousands of dollars in damage if the prank is successful.
"We want people to know that this is a significant offense," DeVries said. "A person can face up to 10 years in prison for mischief."
Police haven't determined if the calls are the work of one man or a collaborative effort, and say the source location remains a mystery.
There is evidence to suggest some of the calls came from the United States, Devries said.
