Police hope sharp-eyed residents will help them catch a man suspected of defrauding a St. Albert shipping company out of $11,000 of goods.
St. Albert RCMP Cst. MJ Burroughs sent out a notice Oct. 11 asking for the public’s help to identify a suspected fraudster.
Police got a complaint about a fraud at about 9 a.m. Sept. 25 from a St. Albert shipping supply company. A man had posed as one of the company’s customers and fraudulently ordered $11,000 worth of unspecified goods using that customer’s account and credit card on file. The man later picked up the goods in a white Chevrolet Express van that had an industrial roof rack and the words “JS Renovations Ltd.” written on both sides. The man and the goods have yet to be found.
Burroughs declined to disclose the identity of the shipping company or the nature of the goods involved. She described the suspect as a dark-skinned male with an average build and facial hair. He was wearing a pink t-shirt, grey pants, an oversized tan-brimmed hat, white socks, and black sandals, and was carrying a black satchel.
Burroughs said she was unsure if investigators had attempted to contact JS Renovations Ltd. yet, but said police typically ask for public help (as was the case here) once all such obvious leads have been exhausted.
Burroughs said this fraud was unusual in that it happened in person — frauds of this scale are more typically done online. Companies can guard against such fraud by requiring customers to provide photo ID.
Burroughs asked anyone who can identify the suspect in this crime to call St. Albert RCMP at 780-458-7700 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.