Skip to content

North Delta Crime Beat: Scammer on dating app steals her heart and $12,000

The purpose of the Crime Beat is to educate and inform the public about some of the property crime trends occurring in South Delta and other files of interest.
Delta police cruiser

The purpose of the Crime Beat is to educate and inform the public about some of the property crime trends occurring in South Delta and other files of interest. If you see anything occurring that you believe to be suspicious, call 911 for in-progress crimes and emergencies or 604-946-4411 for other assistance.

The following are some of the calls Delta police responded to in the previous week:

North Delta

June 21,  3:34 a.m., 12000-block of 88th Avenue: Officer conducted a traffic stop after observing a vehicle make a drastic lane change at the red light into the left turn lane. As the light turned from red to green, the driver made a turn in front of the officer who had the green light. The driver was asked how many alcoholic drinks he had, to which he responded with “very few.” The male was observed to be unsteady on his feet and swaying. He was read the approved screening device demand and he provided a sample resulting in a “FAIL.” The second sample also resulted in “FAIL.” He was issued a 90-day immediate roadside prohibition and a 30-day vehicle impoundment.

June 21, 10:46 a.m., 8900-block of 116th Street: Complainant called to report a Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) scam. She received a call from someone claiming to be from the CRA, advising she owed money and that Delta police would be contacting her. She then received a call from the Delta police non-emergency number and because it was the correct number, she did not think it was out of the ordinary. She was asked to withdraw $7,500 on her RBC credit card in cash and to then purchase Bitcoin. The caller then contacted her via Whatsapp and had her transfer the Bitcoin. She had not yet called her bank. Police explained the callers were not from CRA or Delta police and that the scammers will spoof phone numbers to appear legitimate. Complainant was advised to contact her bank as they would investigate the fraud.

June 21, 8:57 a.m., 8800-block of 120th Street: A motorcycle was observed travelling at a high rate of speed. Visual estimation of speed was 105 km/h in a posted 60 km/h zone. The officer paced the motorcycle at 110 km/h while it made several rapid lane changes between vehicles. Emergency equipment activated and driver stopped. Driver was issued a violation ticket for excessive speed and vehicle was impounded.

June 22, 8:36 a.m., 1600-block of Derwent Way: Complainant reported that sometime overnight, the catalytic converter from his vehicle was cut off and taken while parked in an insecure employee lot. Vehicle towed for repairs prior to police attendance.

June 22, 3:21 p.m., 11900-block of 72A Avenue: Report received that an RV was stolen. Registered owner advised all keys were accounted for and the vehicle had a full tank of gas. Approximate value: $40,000. The vehicle had some miscellaneous items inside.

June 23, 6:21 p.m., 6100-block of Sunwood Drive: Complainant reported his unlocked vehicle was rummaged through while parked on the street. $1,500 cash was taken from his wife’s purse which was left in the vehicle. 

June 24, 5:44 p.m., 7100-block of 120th Street: Loss prevention officer reported that a female was in custody for shoplifting. She was observed stealing $89.72 of food and children’s clothing. All items were recovered and she was given a verbal warning and a civil ban.

June 24, 6:45 p.m., 11800-block of Chateau Wynd: Complainant reported over the past six weeks she has been receiving investment advice from a male she had met on an online dating app. She purchased crypto-currency through an app and then would make stock purchases with the currency on another app. After several transactions, a male was able to transfer her in-app balance to his digital wallet. She confronted the male who advised her “she should not trust people online” and then deleted his profile. She made the in-app purchases through interact e-transfer and she alerted CIBC which was unable to cancel the transactions. Estimated loss: $12,000. Police spoke to her about internet scams and to report this incident to EquiFax. 

June 25, 10:15 p.m., Nicholson Road and 72nd Avenue: A traffic stop was conducted after witnessing a vehicle turn right onto Nicholson Road, failing to come to a complete stop at the stop sign and failing to signal right. Distinct odour of liquor was detected and the driver stated she had her last drink “three hours ago.” Approved screening device demand read and accepted and resulted in “FAIL.” Right to request second test read and rejected. She was issued an immediate roadside prohibition and vehicle impoundment. Officer transported her home.

June 27, 9:45 a.m., 6700-block of Baker Road: Complainant reported their vehicle had been broken into sometime during the evening. The vehicle had been rummaged through and loose change, sunglasses and a Bully Dog tuner had been taken.