North Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»RCMP have arrested a man they say is a serial fraudster, carrying out a scheme with others to steal wallets from rec centre lockers and use victims’ credit cards to make purchases.
Investigators began looking into a rash of reported thefts from rec facilities in North Vancouver, West Vancouver, Burnaby and Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»in February. They soon noted a trend in the stolen credit cars being used immediately afterward to purchase pre-paid credit cards and gift cards, according to a release from the North Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»RCMP.
On March 14, officers searched the residence of a North Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»man. There, they seized credit cards and gift cards with a combined value of more than $25,000, ID cards and the suspected stolen identity documents of 75 different people linked to 28 different police files across the Lower Mainland.
Several other suspects police believe were responsible for the thefts and frauds are also under investigation, one of whom was under court orders not to be in possession of any else’s ID.
The investigations are complex, said Cpl. Mansoor Sahak, North Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»RCMP spokesperson.
“Our investigators worked diligently to gather evidence and prepared several judicial authorizations in an effort to further the investigations,” he said in the release. “They are ongoing and officers anticipate recommending charges to B.C. Prosecution Service in the near future against the man.”
As he has not yet been charged, the suspect’s name is not being released.
Police meanwhile are urging anyone who locks up their belongings in public change rooms to be extra vigilant.
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