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Reports of a gun bring police to downtown apartment Two people were taken into custody briefly Wednesday afternoon after reports that a man was holding a handgun outside a Hazel Street apartment. Chilliwack RCMP responded swiftly to the call, which came in around 12:45 p.m. Within minutes police had the area surrounded, with two suspects on the ground. According to RCMP, one weapon was confiscated – although it was later determined the gun was in fact a replica. The two individuals were later released. Chilliwack RCMP had recently issued a public appeal for information regarding three recent shootings. Shots were fired at three separate residences between Dec. 24 and Jan. 2, including one on Hazel Street. Police investigators said the shootings were linked and targeted certain individuals. Anyone with information on those three incidents is asked to contact Chilliwack RCMP at 604-792-4611 or anonymously to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS).
Chilliwack RCMP talk with one of two suspects taken into custody Wednesday following reports that a firearm was spotted on Hazel Street. The gun turned out to be a replica. GREG KNILL/ PROGRESS
Scam attempt prompts warning for Chilliwack seniors Jennifer Feinberg The Progress It is a new year but an old scam. There are fraudsters posing as Canada Revenue Agency reps over the phone, and a Chilliwack senior was targeted recently, said Coletta Holmes of the Chilliwack & District Seniors’ Resources Society. The local senior was contacted by someone claiming to be from the CRA, who told her there was a problem with her income tax return. The local Seniors’ Resources Society offers an income tax service run by volunteers, in conjunction with CRA, and that is how they found out about a Chilliwack resi-
dent being hit by a scammer. “We know the CRA doesn’t contact people that way,” Holmes said. “We tell them to hang up and call the CRA’s 1-800 number to check their account.” She said sometimes an elder will hear that the “taxman” is on the phone, and they’ll panic, and do whatever they say. They tried to call back the fake 1-613 number, and the way it was answered just sounded wrong, so they reported the attempted fraud to RCMP, who told them to report it to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre. Chilliwack MLA John Martin said given his background in criminology, he was invited to speak at a
fraud prevention session offered by the Seniors’ Resources Society in Chilliwack last year. “There are so many sophisticated layers of fraud out there, and many of them target seniors,” Martin said. The philosophy of the confidence game has remained the same in some ways, but the delivery method has changed. “A lot of this fraudulent activity has gone global,” said Martin. That has stymied the more traditional techniques of law enforcement agencies, and made it necessary to engage in cross-border investigations. With an aging population, and a lot of the wealth anchored in the
seniors’ demographic, it sometimes makes them a target for the criminal element, especially if they’re perceived to be less tech savvy than others. “The most important thing is to be mindful that they are being deliberately targeted, and even more so than in the past,” he said. If something seems too good to be true, it usually is. The Better Business Bureau of Vancouver reported last summer that the CRA phone scam is still circulating. “Typically the scam artist will offer a phony badge number and threaten the consumer if back payment for taxes owned aren’t paid
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immediately or within 24 hours,” according to the BBB website. “Consumers are instructed to wire money to a phony CRA account.” There are ways to protect yourself. The CRA does not make initial contact with people about tax related matters via phone. It’s more likely it will be a formal letter, with a Social Insurance Number and complete contact information. The CRA will also never ask anyone to wire money. All tax payments are made to the Receiver General. Income tax enquiries to CRA by individuals can be made by calling 1-800-959-8281.
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