On August 24th 2016 an unidentified male attended a major retail store located in the 2000 block of Iris Street and commits a fraud.
The suspect selected a box containing a bicycle and replaced the price tag with a much lower valued item then proceeded to pay at the self check out. Please view the photo provided by investigator.
If you know the identity of the male call Crime Stoppers toll-free at 1-800-222-8477(TIPS). RememberCrime Stoppers does not subscribe to call display, we will not ask your name or record your call and you are not required to testify in court. If your information leads to his identity, you could qualify for a cash reward of up to $2000. You can follow us on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter.
KRISTIN KELLY
More from Kristin Kelly
Published on: December 23, 2016 | Last Updated: December 23, 2016 3:12 PM EST
If you’re a small business owner in Ottawa, be careful going through your mail.
Just in time for the holidays, some city businesses have been receiving scam letters from a company called Direct Pages 411, claiming that the businesses owe money.
Recipients are asked to send a payment to a Montreal postal code.
Mike Wood, owner of Ottawa Special Events, said he received a letter on Wednesday from Direct Pages 411, warning him about an overdue invoice payment on a company profile.
The letter demanded payment of more than $830 to a PO box in Montreal.
Wood said he was immediately suspicious, firstly because the letter had no phone number to contact the company.
He said a similar letter was also sent to his other business, Party Rentals Ottawa, and he later found out party rental company Fiesta Ottawa, owned by a friend, received the same letter that day.
“I know exactly what this is. It’s a scam,” he recalled thinking.
Wood said he Googled the company’s name, and found that Direct Pages 411 was one of several companies named as scam operations.
Wood said it’s not the first time he’s gotten a letter like this.
He said two years ago, he received a similar invoice. He called the business that sent him the letter and told the man who answered he hadn’t ordered anything from the company. He said the man insisted he had bought from them, and threatened to hurt him.
“I’m always on the lookout for scams now,” he said.
He advised other business owners to hire accountants who keep good records, so everything is in order.
Most importantly, Wood said to trust your instincts.
“Use your gut feeling,” he advised. “If it just doesn’t feel right, it probably isn’t.”
The Ottawa police fraud unit would not say whether it was investigating Direct Pages 411, but noted: “We have seen large dollar losses to these scams. As such, business owners need to do their due diligence, and should know what money is coming in and going out.”
“Make sure that the invoices that you receive match the items that you purchased. Many businesses get scammed because the invoices go to an accounts payable department and the people there just assume that the bills need to be paid.
If in doubt, check any surprise invoices on sites such as the Yellow Pages.
A Facebook group in Ottawa says its fallen victim to a scam to source the season’s most popular gift, the Hatchimal.
CTV Ottawa Published Thursday, December 22, 2016 4:41PM EST Last Updated Thursday, December 22, 2016 7:14PM EST
Hundreds of Ottawa residents are scrambling to find new Christmas presents after a massive Hatchimal scam rocked a popular Facebook Group.
Members of the 'From East to West Ottawa Co-Op Facebook Group' found out Friday that the Hatchimals they ordered back in October won't be arriving. The group organizers said the $36,000 they collected from group members was taken by scammers overseas.
"In mid-December, we were notified that the vendor wanted more money in order to deliver the order. He claimed it was for additional customs fees. At this point, we verified with Canada Customs officials and the Embassy of Thailand, as well as the airport where the Hatchimals were supposed to be held," said one of the page admins who did not want to be identified.
PHOTOS
The popular group, which has about 7,000 members on its closed page, buys items in bulk from largely overseas vendors, offering members deep discounts on a wide variety of products. The admins said they make about 30 purchases a month and have never had a problem since the group was formed 18 months ago.
This vendor, advertising authentic Hatchimals, was found through what the group admins called a "recognizable website" used for previous shipments.
"We are extremely upset that our members have been disappointed by the fact that this vendor took advantage of us – especially given the impact that it will have during the holiday season," the admin said.
While the group maintains they've made hundreds of successful shipments, some members, who wouldn't go on camera, told CTV Ottawa they wished updates had been provided sooner about the state of the shipment and they questioned why money was handed over for additional costs like customs before the shipment reached the border. Viewers also told CTV Ottawa that the group has had problems in the past, specifically with items being seized at the border, significant delays and shipments that were never received.
Kerry Hogan-Vachon was one of the 450 people who purchased the Hatchimals back in October for $36 a pop, down from their $60 to 90 retail price. She ordered three for her nieces and nephews and said she is now scrambling to find something else to put under the tree.
"Saving money on a 'wow' gift at Christmas time is great and when you are buying three of them and you are on a budget, it's a deal," she said.
Hogan-Vachon said she has used the group successfully for a variety of purchases and didn't think twice about ordering the Hatchimals for Christmas.
"It's a very tough lesson to learn, but I guess I will think about it a bit more next time to make sure that I don't put all my eggs in one basket when I have to buy that next gift."
"Nobody is getting their gifts and it's turned out really sad for us," she said. "My niece and nephew are not getting it and instead are getting a note from Santa saying he wasn't able to produce them as fast as he thought he could."
"The sad part is a lot of people bought these for their family and friends with their money, now they are left to pay back all the people they took money from to buy them," said one mother who purchased five for her family but did not want to be identified. "A lot of mothers on the co-op are either low income or living very frugal, some mothers have expressed that they don't have anything to give their children for Christmas because they were banking on these too give to their children."
Members of the Facebook group have volunteered to purchase Christmas gifts for those who cannot afford to buy a replacement gift for their families.
The Ottawa Police Fraud Unit is investigating. It said the money was sent overseas in Malaysia and added that solving these kinds of cases and recovering the money is often extremely challenging. Police remind consumers to be extra cautiouswhen making purchases online, especially when the items are coming from overseas vendors.
The organizers of the 'From East to West Ottawa Co-Op" told CTV Ottawa they are working to help give its members some money back.
The company reminded the public on Tuesday that it does not add attachments to e-Transfer notification emails.
It advised people to not respond to or open any attachments from suspicious emails.
The company said the Canadian Revenue Agency does not use Interact e-Transfers. Any emails you might receive about an e-Transfer from what appears to be the CRA are a phishing scam, even if they look legitimate.
It said it does not provide an escrow service, so any emails that say Interac is holding money in escrow are also fraudulent.
If you receive an e-Transfer notification you aren’t expecting, the company said you should contact the sender through a different communication channel to verify.
If the notification comes from someone you don’t know, or if it seems suspicious, the company asked that you forward the email to phishing@interac.ca.
If you have been a victim of a scam, the company suggested you file a report with the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Friday, December 2, 2016 9:50 am
(Ottawa) — The Ottawa Police Service Robbery Unit is investigating an October ATM fraud and is seeking the public's assistance in identifying the suspect responsible.
As a result of an initial investigation into a reported robbery, robbery investigators also became aware of an ATM fraud. On October 12, 2016, at approximately 8:20 pm, a male suspect was captured on video committing a fraud at a bank's ATM. The bank is situated along the 100 block of Kent Street.
The suspect is described as a male, with a darker complexion. He has dark, longer, wavy hair, and a noticeable mole on his face near his right nostril (images attached.)
Anyone with information regarding this robbery, or any robbery, is asked to call the Ottawa Police's Robbery Unit at 613-236-1222, ext. 5116. Anonymous tips can be submitted by calling Crime Stoppers toll-free at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS), or by downloading the Ottawa Police app.
