By Sgt. Jeff Witzke

This past week, April 21 through April 27, Columbia Valley RCMP responded to 43 calls for service. The following is a summary of some of the files our officers responded to over the week.

Gift card fraud reports on the rise

On April 21, the RCMP was called by an employee at a local gas station reporting that an elder person had come to the store looking to purchase Apple gift cards. The employee suspected the person was being scammed so they called the police. Members were able to locate the elder who was in fact being scammed online. The members provided the person with education on online scams. Shout out to the employee for recognizing this was a fraud.

The RCMP is seeing an increase in online scams where these fraudsters are requesting gift cards such as Apple, Google, Amazon, etc.

The RCMP would like to make the public aware that there are several scams going around with these fraudsters pretending to be local phone companies, CRA and even family members and are requesting gift cards for payment. THESE ARE FRAUDS.

No companies are taking gift cards as payment. The police have also noticed these fraudsters are targeting the elder population. It’s suggested that if you have any elder family members, check in with and educate them on these scams.

ATV operator injured in crash with pick-up on Horsethief Road

On April 26, Columbia Valley RCMP was called to a collision between an ATV and pick-up truck that occurred on Horsethief Road. The operator on the ATV sustained minor injuries and was taken to the hospital by a passerby. Police are still investigating the incident.

– Sgt. Jeff Witzke is Columbia Valley RCMP Detachment commander

Article Share