They say you shouldn’t open your door to strangers and that advice hit close to home after a Kelowna man was arrested in a card-skimming scam this weekend.
James Graham, 22, was arrested Saturday after police received complaints a man was going door-to-door in the 500 block of Glenmeadows Road using a portable debit device to allegedly collect donations for the Ronald McDonald House.
Graham faces 12 fraud related charges.
“He was polite. He wasn’t aggressive. I just said no thank you and he left,” said neighbourhood resident Brenda Gillon.
RCMP say there may be as many as 47 victims from Kelowna and Salmon Arm who were scammed.
Cst. Kris Clark with the Keowna RCMP says the suspect was well-dressed, wore an ID badge and indicated that he worked for the charity.
But he wasn’t convincing enough for some of the potential victims in the neighbourhood.
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“I was busy at the time. Once I found out where he was from, I had some suspicions so I sent him away,” said neighbourhood resident Bob Shellon. “I thought it was rather unusual that the Ronald McDonald House was going door to door.”
“He presented a debit device for taking the donations. One astute civilian, after giving a donation, thought something was suspicious, ended up calling the Ronald McDonald House and found out it was a scam. They subsequently called us,” Clark said.
Gretta Fagan did not fall for the scam.
“I saw the credit card machine in his hand and I said, oh no, this isn’t good. He had a tag on but he didn’t represent himself as being legitimate.”
The incident coincides with the province’s first consumer awareness week.
“If someone comes to your door and you’re feeling unsure, just tell them you don’t want to give at that time,” said Tatiana Chabeaux-Smith with Consumer Protection B.C.
“You can actually phone up the charity and find out if they are running a fundraiser campaign.”
Here are a few more tips from Consumer Protection B.C.:
– Trust your gut. If the offer is too good to be true, it probably is
– Read the fine print. Always take your time to read the agreements before you sign.
– Do your homework. Shop around. Get some quotes, do some research on product reviews
– Stick to a budget. Be realistic on what you can and can’t afford
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