Clearwater RCMP responded to 26 calls for service this past week including a hit-and-run complaint, fraud attempt and a suspected domestic situation.
On Sept. 5, a Blackpool woman attended the RCMP detachment to report a hit-and-run on Lakeview Road in Clearwater, Sgt. Grant Simpson, detachment commander for the Clearwater RCMP said.
“She reported that the day before, she had found a note on her parked truck that read ‘I bumped your bumper’ and then provided a name and phone number. The complainant contacted the person who wanted to pay for the damages and not go through ICBC.”
Simpson said the complainant felt that this person was now “avoiding” her as her B.C. plated Dodge Ram had a dent and scratch in the bumper. The police file number was provided for insurance purposes.
“Const. Meyer located the responsible person with the same phone number, that had been provided initially. This person owned a B.C. plated 2008 Mazda pickup. Const. Meyer contacted the person who advised she already spoke with ICBC and the complainant,” stated Simpson. Const. Meyer contacted the complainant and advised her to contact the Clearwater RCMP if she had any further issues. Motor vehicle checks were conducted with nothing of concern arising. Damage to both vehicles was under $3,000 so no accident report was required. The file was concluded.
On Sept. 6 at 2:00 p.m., a local man attended the RCMP detachment to report a fraud attempt at his home. Sgt. Simpson noted the complainant reported someone hacked his email address and sent him a letter stating they had videos of him performing indecent acts while viewing pornography. The hacker was now demanding $1,750 to be transferred to a Litecoin account or the controversial videos would be sent to all numbers in his contact list.
“The complainant advised he did not visit these sites but was afraid they could photoshop or add his face to anyone's body trying to make it look like him. The complainant was currently applying to certain positions within the community and was afraid that they might get these fake videos," said Sgt. Simpson.
Const. Meyer advised the complainant to delete the email, change his email account and to not send any money or Litecoin. “Const. Meyer provided the complainant with the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre contact info, explicit to video scams. This fraud attempt did not gain any monetary value, only some lost sleep on the complainant’s part," Simpson said.
Simpson reported that on Sept. 8 at 2:45 p.m. a Birch Island man called the RCMP to report a possible ‘domestic’ in progress in the 1200 block of Hwy. 5 in Clearwater.
The complainant believed he heard a female screaming, a muffled male’s voice and a male and female fighting.
“A red Ford work truck and a white truck were currently in the driveway. Const. Meyer attended and the owner of the vehicle at the residence were present. Only he and his son were home. The homeowner had a good chuckle at the report as his son had a spruce bug land on him and was screaming at the top of his lungs,” said Simpson. The homeowner’s wife and new baby were not home (her vehicle was not reported to be there at the time of the scream) deeming this report of a domestic incident as unfounded. Police checks on the homeowner were clear of negative police contacts. The complainant was advised of the outcome into the investigation. The file was concluded.
