Organizers of the Esquimalt Ribfest event said they have received an outpouring of support from the community to recoup losses.
Victoria police said at the end of the event, held in the 1100 block of Lyall Street from Sept. 5 to 7, they received a report about the use of counterfeit tokens to purchase drinks.
Initial indications suggest the tokens were likely produced using a 3D printer, police said, and someone made several hundreds of copies of the $8 token used to purchase beer, wine and coolers.
This led to thousands of dollars in lost revenue for local children’s charities.
“We thought getting ripped off would be the end of the world for us, and really annoyed our entire committee, but companies like Sasquatch stepping up have made a world of difference, and we’re actually ahead of the game now,” Tom Woods, chair of Esquimalt Ribfest, told Global News.
Sasquatch Heat Pumps is just one of the local companies donating to Ribfest with a $2,000 cheque.
Ribfest officials say they have now received close to $10,000 in additional donations.
“I think more than anything, the fact that someone would steal from a charity is a bit demoralizing for us, but what turns the tables 180 degrees is the fact that the community has stepped forward like this,” Woods added.
“So a day like today, where we get a cheque from Sasquatch Heat Pumps when we’re able to recoup our losses plus, and fire that money right back into the community into these children’s charities, it makes a world of difference. It makes you feel pretty good, too.”
Investigators with the Victoria Police Department Esquimalt Division are asking anyone with information regarding the counterfeit tokens to contact them.
No arrests have been made in the case.