A scammer posing as a Canadian Revenue Agency representative has swindled a victim out of thousands of dollars.
On Sept. 8 the St. Albert RCMP received a report that a male caller convinced the victim that they owed $4,000 from past taxes. The victim was told to purchase gift cards to pay for the outstanding debt and then relay the gift card information to the caller over the phone to pay off the debt.
“No legitimate businesses request gift cards for payments,” said Cst. Fraser from the St. Albert RCMP Community Policing Unit. “If you receive a call from any agency, organization, or charity asking for money, you should always decline to send any money immediately and tell them you will call them back. This will allow you time to do some research before deciding if they are who they say they are, or if they are scammers.”
A sketch has now been released of one suspect who assaulted and robbed a teenage boy on Friday Sept. 2 at 3 p.m.
Two teenage boys were walking on the path between W.D. Cuts School and Bertha Kennedy School, when they were approached and robbed by two male suspects. The 14-year-old victim was pushed off his bike and the suspect proceeded to kick and punch him. A 2016 A5 Samsung phone with a carbon fibre case was stolen, along with a backpack, keys and a black, green and grey Haro BMX bicycle with distinctive green rims. The items have not been recovered yet.
The police are asking for the public’s assistance to identify the suspect.
Two culprits have been suspected of stealing liquor from the Mission Liquor Mart.
On Aug. 18, between 11:30 a.m. and noon, a female walked in to the liquor store on McKenney Avenue in St. Albert and stole a bottle of vodka. The woman returned on Aug. 29, 2016, accompanied by a male suspect, and stole two more bottles of vodka. The male tried to leave the store with a bottle of vodka, but the clerk confronted the culprit and he set the bottle down and left without it.
The female suspect is described as blonde, Caucasian woman who is 26 or 27 years old. She stands at approximately five-feet, seven inches and weighs around 150 pounds.
The male suspect is described as part native and approximately six-feet tall. He is around 27 or 28 years old and was wearing a black leather jacket and blue jeans at the time of the crime.
A white 2007 Ford F350 truck was stolen from a compound on Riel Drive on Sept. 8 and was later found undamaged in Spruce Grove on Sept. 10. The truck was taken between 6 a.m. and 9 p.m. from the Riel business park area.
Anyone with information about these or any other crimes is asked to contact St. Albert RCMP at 780-458-7700 or their local police detachment. Anonymous tips can be provided to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or at www.tipsubmit.com.
