The Oak Bay Police Department responded to 82 calls for service this past week.
FRAUD RELATED INCIDENTS
File 2024-1983: On July 29th a complainant reported a fraud. A suspect gained control of the complainant’s computer and his PayPal account while he was on the phone with whom he thought to be the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA). This investigation is ongoing, and it has not yet been determined exactly how much money has been stolen.
File 2024-2022: On August 1st complainants reported to the Oak Bay Police Department that someone had tried to defraud them through a Telus promotional scam. The person who called the complainants offered them a new home service package that would be valid for 24 months. The subject had detailed information of the complainants’ accounts. The subject then sent an email to the complainants offering discounts for home services. The complainants reported the suspicious activity to police and upon reviewing the email the police noted numerous spelling mistakes. The subject wanted cash and a credit card number. The complainants did not send any money but instead contacted Telus directly. Telus confirmed that this was indeed a scam.
FRAUD PRESENTATION
File 2024-2002: Oak Bay Police’s Community & Youth Liaison officer, Cst Mishrigi, provided a fraud presentation at the Oak Bay Lawn Bowling Club with a member from the Saanich Police Department. There were approximately forty people in attendance. The group was very engaged and shared their own experiences regarding frauds.
Oak Bay Police Department would like to remind the public that fraud, including fraudulently representing the CRA, Telus or any other business, is common. Some tips to implement if faced with a situation you suspect may be fraudulent is to 1) slow things down, 2) ask yourself, “does this make sense?”, 3) talk to a trusted friend/family member/bank/lawyer before acting, 4) do your own research.
You can protect yourself by the following:
1. Never relinquish control of your computer or cell phone to others.
2. Never share you PIN number for bank cards, etc.
3. Never deposit a cheque or money order from an unknown source.
4. Clean out your internet browser history and get rid of cookies.
5. Report incidents immediately to the police, your bank or credit card company, the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, Equifax, TransUnion.
BREACH OF PROBATION
File 2024-2046: On August 3rd Oak Bay Police Department officers responded for a report of a male laying on the outdoor couch at the back of a residence in South Oak Bay. The male left prior to police arrival. Police conducted area patrols and upon returning to the residence, police were advised that the male had returned and was at the rear of the residence. The male was arrested for trespassing and a query of his name, Andrew Evans, showed that he was breaching his probation order. Evans was arrested for the breach and transported to cells. He has since been remanded in custody by the court.
MARINE RESCUE
File 2024-2047: On August 3rd police were called for two paddleboarders stranded on one of the islands just off Mary Todd Island. Police attended the Oak Bay Marina and could see the stranded paddleboarders. Contact was made with them, and it was confirmed they were physically safe but could not get back to shore. The Joint Rescue Coordination Centre dispatched a rescue boat and crew who were able to get the paddleboarders back safely to shore.
IMPAIRED DRIVING
File 2024-2018: On July 31st an Oak Bay Police member observed a vehicle in South Oak Bay with a rear right taillight that was not operational. A traffic stop was initiated. Due to an apparent indicia of impairment, police conducted an impaired driving investigation, resulting in the thirty-one-year-old female driver being issued a ninety-day driving prohibition and her vehicle towed and impounded for 30 days.
MISCHIEF TO VEHICLE
2024-2041: Between 5:00 PM on August 2nd and 8:00 AM on August 3rd there were four vehicles that received damage to their driver side mirrors in South Oak Bay in the area of Windsor Park. After a thorough investigation and check for surveillance cameras, no suspects have been identified. Please contact the Oak Bay Police Department if your vehicle received similar damage during this time frame.
If you have information regarding these or any other crimes in Oak Bay, please phone the police department at 250-592-2424 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS)
