Clearwater RCMP have received several reports regarding phone calls from persons impersonating employees of the Canada Revenue Agency and threatening people with being arrested and jailed for outstanding taxes.
These callers are generally very aggressive and will attempt to give some excuse as to why you shouldn't consult other people, family or otherwise.
The callers have been requesting payment via prepaid credit cards, Amazon gift cards, iTunes gift cards etc.
If you receive such a call, tell the person you know they’re trying to scam them, and hang up (hopefully this will prevent them from calling back).
If you are concerned it might actually be legitimate, still hang up, and call the CRA yourself.
Never trust someone who calls you asking for money without knowing for sure who that person is.
There have been reports that calls have been showing up on call display as coming from a known CRA phone number. This can be fairly easily faked by a person with a computer.
Collisions abound
Over the past week, Clearwater RCMP has responded to six motor vehicle collisions. Luckily the collisions so far have not caused any serious life-altering injuries, though that’s likely just sheer luck.
In one collision a distracted driver went off the road and down a 25 metre embankment.
In another, a vehicle attempted to overtake a loaded logging truck with a semi oncoming in the other lane. The vehicle ended up colliding with the logging truck and coming to a stop on its side in the ditch on the other side of the road.
While it is always advisable to drive defensively, it is especially so with the roads as busy as they get during these peak tourist times.
Also, as many tourists are not accustomed to B.C. or even Canadian driving standards; they may not drive in a manner that you expect.
Hit and run
On Wednesday, July 27, an unknown vehicle struck a grey Dodge Dakota, destroying the driver's side mirror and causing some body damage around the mirror.
The collision occurred while the Dakota was parked in the parking lot at Jim’s in Clearwater.
It was possible the driver of the other vehicle didn't realize the Dakota had been struck.
Whether the driver realized it or not, the other vehicle did not stop, and no contact information was left for the owner of the Dakota.
If you have any information regarding this collision, please contact Clearwater RCMP at 250-674-2237; file number 2016-963