Close X
Sunday, December 1, 2024
ADVT 
National

Scams targeting Chinese community in Vancouver result in millions lost, police say

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 09 Aug, 2024 02:28 PM
  • Scams targeting Chinese community in Vancouver result in millions lost, police say

Police in Vancouver are warning about three scams that are targeting the Chinese community after victims reported losing nearly $6 million this year. 

They are investigating 26 files since Jan. 1, but investigators believe there are more victims who haven't come forward. 

Police say the first fraud involves the victim getting a call from someone impersonating a Chinese police officer who tricks them into sending money to Hong Kong banks, saying they are in trouble because their phone and identity have been used to commit crimes.

The second scam happens when the victim is approached by a group of strangers, who tells them bad luck or ill health will happen to them or their loved ones unless they give them cash or jewelry.

The third cheat involves job advertisement posters written in Chinese that offer up to $300 per day to make artwork, but when the victim calls for more details, they are tricked into romance or investment scams. 

Police say they are working to identify suspects, and are asking anyone who believes they may have been victimized by the scams to come forward.

MORE National ARTICLES

Police identify two women found dead in Vancouver, say deaths aren't connected

Police identify two women found dead in Vancouver, say deaths aren't connected
Police in Vancouver say they have identified the two women whose bodies were found on the shores of English Bay on Sunday and Monday. Sgt. Steve Addison says police now know the women's names and their families have been informed of their deaths.

Police identify two women found dead in Vancouver, say deaths aren't connected

Bracelet thief on the lam

Bracelet thief on the lam
Mounties on Vancouver Island say they're looking for the public's help to find a suspect in a theft investigation after a child's collection of handmade bracelets was stolen from a front porch in Langford. Westshore R-C-M-P say the gemstone bracelets were made for sale by an 11-year-old girl, and were stolen on July 17th off a porch where she had them displayed. 

Bracelet thief on the lam

2 dead in Surrey fires

2 dead in Surrey fires
Police in Surrey say two fires in the city in the last few days have left two people dead in Whalley and Newton. Surrey RCMP say a fire at a home on 112A Avenue on July 20th claimed the life of an 85-year-old woman, but the blaze is not being treated as suspicious. 

2 dead in Surrey fires

B.C. wildfire tally surges as firefighters take to air to battle blazes

B.C. wildfire tally surges as firefighters take to air to battle blazes
The numbers seem ever increasing for British Columbia wildfire statistics, including more than 400 fires, tens of thousands of lightning strikes and at least six homes lost. The homes were in the Venables Valley, and Colton Davies with the Thompson-Nicola Regional District says they were among 20 buildings destroyed by the Shetland Creek wildfire. 

B.C. wildfire tally surges as firefighters take to air to battle blazes

Bank of Canada cuts key interest rate by quarter percentage point to 4.5%

Bank of Canada cuts key interest rate by quarter percentage point to 4.5%
The Bank of Canada cut its key interest rate for a second consecutive time on Wednesday, but warned the path back to two per cent inflation may be uneven and would ultimately determine the pace of future rate cuts. The central bank says its decision to lower its policy rate by a quarter percentage point was motivated by easing price pressures and weakening economic conditions.

Bank of Canada cuts key interest rate by quarter percentage point to 4.5%

Battle to keep historic town wet and safe

Battle to keep historic town wet and safe
The British Columbia gold rush town of Barkerville is drenched, both from overnight rains and sprinklers dousing its timber buildings, some more than 150 years old. It's part of an effort to save the historic park that is one of the Cariboo region's premier tourist attractions from the flames of the Antler Creek wildfire that is burning out of control about three kilometres away, said Stewart Cawood, Barkerville's public programming and media manager.

Battle to keep historic town wet and safe