Crime Briefs – April 16, 2015

Type: Theft

Date: April 15, 2015

Location: Lynden Road

Incident: On April 15, 2015 at around 11:00 a.m. a Brantford man had a bag stolen while at the Lynden Park Mall. The man was in the food court washroom and set his bag down on the floor next to him. While in a private stall an unknown person reached down and stole the bag.

Crime Prevention Tips – Theft of Purse/Briefcase/Backpacks

Stay with you purse, briefcase, backpack and/or personal items at all times

Never leave these items unattended in shopping carts, dressing rooms, public washroom

floors, restaurants, movie theatres, your car, to name a few examples

Make it a habit to never leave your purse in the fold-out seat of a shopping cart

Unless absolutely necessary, never have you passport, birth certificate and/or social

identification number card or pin numbers in your purse.

Remember you need identification to replace identification and identity theft is serious.

Type: Fraud ‘Emergency Scam’

Date: April 15, 2015

Incident: On Wednesday April 15, 2015 shortly before 7:00 p.m. a Brantford woman telephoned the BPS to report being the victim of a telephone scam.

On April 15, 2015 at around noon hour the victim received a telephone call from a man imposing as her son. The fraudster told the victim that he had just been involved in a rear end collision and it was his fault. The fraudster told the victim that he was reaching for his cell phone, struck the car ahead of him and that he had injured his nose.

The fraudster tells the victim that the occupants in the vehicle he struck were from out of the country.

A second fraudster then spoke to the victim identifying himself as Henry Mather, an assistant attorney assigned to the case because the other parties were from out of country. Fraudster attorney tells the victim that she needs to immediately send a money gram of $4,600.00 to Panama City to cover the other parties’ insurance costs for the damages her son was responsible for. Fraudster attorney stressed to the victim that she was not to talk about this investigation involving the collision with her son to anyone, including her own son as the case is currently ‘on-going’. Conversation continued where the fraudster advised the victim to send $2300.00 now to cover insurance costs and he would advise at a later time if he required more money. The victim attended a local pharmacy and sent a money gram to the address given in Panama City. At around 2:00 p.m. the fraudster attorney called back asking for the reference number given to her from transferring the funds. The fraudster called back again around 5:00 p.m. and advised that he hadn’t heard back from the other parties insurance company and that he would telephone her the next morning regarding further instructions.

Despite being instructed not to call her son, the victim sensed something was not right and telephoned her son who advised that he had been working all day. The son was not involved in any collision.

HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF FROM BEING A VICTIM OF FRAUD:

Before transferring money, ask the individual a question that only your family member would know the answer to.

* Never give out personal information/credit card information to an unknown source

* You can stop a telephone scam by hanging up

* Confirm with family, police or your bank before transferring any funds

* Educate yourself by visiting the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre’s website at www.antifraudcentre.ca

If you have already sent funds and/or your personal information contact the police and your financial institution immediately. If you believe that you have been a VICTIM OF FRAUD and reside in the City of Brantford, contact the Brantford Police Service at 519-756-7050.

Type: Damage to Motor Vehicle

Date: April 16, 2015

Location: Kitchener Avenue

Incident: Sometime overnight on April 15, 2015 a vehicle parked in a driveway on Kitchener Avenue was damaged. The rear hatchback window had been smashed.

Type: Suspicious Person

Date: April 16, 2015

Location: Brock Street

Incident: On April 16, 2015 at 6:10 a.m. a citizen telephoned 9-1-1 to report a suspicious person on Brock Street. The citizen’s car alarm had been triggered on her vehicle parked on Brock Street. The citizen observed a suspicious man fleeing the area on a bicycle. The man is described as wearing all black with a hooded sweater. The man was last seen riding east bound on Darling Street.

Crime Prevention through Education and Awareness””

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