Bonnyville RCMP are investigating an attempted ATM theft from the Bonnyville Players' Lounge.
On Sept. 26, at 4:30 a.m., police attended a break and enter at the local establishment.
"A silver Chevy Avalanche had backed into the front doors of the business and four culprits tried to steal the ATMs," described Sgt. Kim Hillier. "Fortunately, the ATMs are always left empty and unlocked, so the culprits left without anything."
The suspects are being sought by police on potential charges of break and enter with intent to steal.
"We're looking for a silver or light coloured Chevy Avalanche, and they appear to have been assisted or associated with an older white Chevy Tahoe," Hillier added.
Anyone with any information is asked to contact RCMP at 780-343-7200.
"We don't want (ATM theft) to become the norm here, so obviously this offence is being treated very seriously," stated Hillier.
RCMP asking for help identifying hit and run suspect
On Sept. 12, a grey Pontiac Solstice was parked on 48 Ave. when the owner noticed "some extensive damage" caused by a hit and run.
Paint transfer from the suspect vehicle involved has officers looking for a white vehicle.
"If anyone witnessed anything that might be helpful, even if it's a make and model of a vehicle, even if you didn't get a license plate, we would be very appreciative of any information," Hillier said.
Lock-up
"Weekly, we have complaints of people who have had their vehicles gone through," Hillier described. "This week, we've had a couple of complaints where the vehicle owner has had their vehicle gone through by a criminal, and had personal items or money stolen. Sometimes they will steal the registration and insurance."
Police are reminding the public to lock-up their vehicles and remove any valuables.
"The first step to keeping yourself safe is to lock your vehicle," noted Hillier.
Suspects "walk down the street car-to-car, check all of the door handles, and make use of anything in vehicles that are unlocked, including things you don't think they would be looking for."
Sunglasses, change, jackets, hunting gear, and garage door openers often go missing.
Residents who park in their garage should also ensure their garage doors are secure.
"That's another area where people like to check the door, if it's open they just go in and take what they want... There's really no pry marks, damage, and homeowners may not even notice something's gone missing for days, if not weeks," expressed Hillier.
"Please lock-up, it's a lot of stress for homeowners and vehicle owners. This could be easily avoided by keeping your vehicle locked when you're not in it," she added.
Know and check your license plate
Following several reports of license plates being stolen, Bonnyville RCMP are asking drivers to not only know their license plate, but to also check that it's still there.
"It's important to memorize your personal license plate on your vehicle and to check it periodically. Often what we're seeing are criminals are swapping out license plates, straight up stealing them, or trading it out for another stolen license plate," Hillier said. "One of the purposes behind this would appear to be they will steal a license plate that is similar to a vehicle they have stolen and in that way they avoid detection for longer because the stolen vehicle isn't sporting the same stolen license plate."
It's uncommon for drivers to check their license plate regularly, noted Hillier, which is why police are asking the public to keep it in the back of their minds.
"Even once a week as you're getting in your vehicle, just have a quick glance and make sure that your vehicle is sporting your license plate."
Scams, scams, and more scams
"It's very scary for our complainants, the victims, there's usually a high personal loss," Hillier stated. "Recently, we had a victim who lost over $5,000 to a scam."
Scammers are calling claiming to be RCMP officers, from the CRA, or your bank, and are asking for personal information, but there are ways around falling for their tricks, said Hillier.
"What we have had lately is what's called a number bounce. The culprit is using a number that appears to be a local number, and in this case, it appeared to be the Bonnyville RCMP detachment's number. The suspects are very aggressive on the phone and tell the victim they have warrants out for their arrest and the police are coming for them if they don't pay off these warrants or some sort of bill."
Victims are falling prey to this scam because the caller ID is showing a local phone number, Hillier noted.
"I would like the public to know that first of all, we wouldn't call you and charge you any money for a warrant. The CRA will not call you and tell you that you're going to be arrested if you don't pay in some unusual means," she continued.
In some cases, scammers will ask the victim to pay the fines or bills by iTunes cards, Google Play, or even Bitcoin.
"Generally, these things are completely untraceable for the police without a large and extensive cross-border investigation," explained Hillier, adding it's unlikely such an investigation would take place for $5,000.
"People work hard for their money and we don't want them giving it to criminals," she added. "Scams are sometimes very difficult to detect, and we want the public to understand that they just need to contact the police directly."
Hillier stressed people shouldn't call the number back or any phone number given by the suspected scammer. Instead, using a credit card scam as an example, call the phone number on the back of your card directly.
"You reaching out, you know who you're contacting. It's very important that you don't give out personal information," she adding, noting residents should never give out their credit card information or make any payments using gift cards to anyone calling you over the phone.
If you have been called by someone claiming to be from the CRA or RCMP and suspect it's a scam, contact the local police detachment at 780-343-7200.
