ARTICLES

Between February and April of 2024, the Medicine Hat Police Service (MHPS) received 16 separate reports of theft from Canada Post community mailboxes located throughout the city.

During the evening of April 10, 2024, the MHPS received a report a theft in progress from a community mailbox and as a result, MHPS patrol officers attended to the area and located a female suspect leaving the scene. The woman was taken into custody and found to be in possession of break in tools as well as hundreds of items of mail.

The MHPS Criminal Investigation Section took over the investigation and searched a local residence as well as executed two search warrants on storage lockers within the city. Thousands of reported and unreported items of mail, both in letter and parcel form were recovered.

Following this investigation, Cassandra Chenoweth, 41-years-old, of Medicine Hat, AB has been charged with several mail / theft related offences. Chenoweth was held in custody for a Judicial Interm Release hearing and was released from custody. Chenoweth is scheduled to appear in Provincial Court on May 8, 2024.

The investigation is ongoing as MHPS investigators are now working closely with Canada Post Inspectors and its is expected further charges will be laid. Additionally with the assistance of Canada Post the recovered mail and packages will be returned to their intended recipients when they are no longer required for investigational purposes.

Media Contact:

S/Sgt. Jason Graham
Criminal Investigation Section
Medicine Hat Police Service
Ph: 403-529-8421

In celebration of the 125^th Anniversary of the Medicine Hat Police Service (MHPS) a collection of “Cop Cards” are being released.

Thirty (30) MHPS Police and Peace Officers are participating in the program with each card containing a short biography of the officer and highlights a photograph selected by each individual member.

Throughout the history of the MHPS, cop cards have been created as a community engagement initiative with a goal to increase the approachability of officers and encourage interaction with members of the public. The last version of MHPS cop cards was distributed in 2010.

This time around, for the kids (and the young at heart), both printed and virtual versions of the cop cards are available to be collected. If a young person, under the age of 18 collects all thirty (30) cop cards, they will be eligible to win a reward from the Office of the Chief of Police.

Media Contact:

Al Murphy
Chief of Police
Medicine Hat Police Service
Ph: 403-529-8416

On the morning of April 4, 2024, the Medicine Hat Police Service responded to a break, enter and theft to the Connaught Golf Club located on 13 Avenue SE. As a result of the incident a large safe along with its contents were stolen from within.

The MHPS Criminal Investigation Section took over the matter and as part of the investigation executed a residential search warrant in Redcliff. As a result, Cole Marshall, a 37-year-old male from Redcliff has been charged with the following;

• Break and Enter to commit theft,
• Breach of Release Order x 3

Additionally, police were able to locate the safe along with all its contents in a rural area north of the city limits.

Marshall was held in custody for a Judicial Interm Release hearing where he was remanded into custody pending his next court appearance on April 9, 2024, in Medicine Hat Provincial Court.

The investigation into this matter is still ongoing.

As Fraud Prevention Month concludes for 2024, the Medicine Hat Police Service (MHPS) felt it would be valuable to share some statistics around fraud in our community.

In 2023, there were about 529 fraud general occurrences were investigated by Police. The top five types of fraud the MHPS saw were online frauds, transaction card frauds, mass marketing frauds, taxi fraud, and securities/financial fraud which accounted for about 429 of those 529 investigations.

Locally, Medicine Hat residents lost nearly $3.5 million dollars to fraud. This loss of money inevitably has an effect on the local economy.

The MHPS were able to make about 4% in recoveries through fraud investigations, recovering over $155,000. This year, many “Grandparent Scam” style frauds occurred in our community. Over just a few days, the individuals operating this scam victimized multiple people and gained over $40,000. MHPS was able to locate and charge one of the individuals responsible for this crime. This is a common scam that primarily targets the elderly.

Frauds related to online banking, transaction cards, or cheque frauds, frequently result in banks conducting their own investigation. In some cases, the victims are successful in having their funds returned by the banks.

Regarding online scams, very little money was able to be recovered as the funds were typically sent through gift cards, e-transfers, or online deposits which are difficult to track.

Citizens are reminded to please remain aware of frauds all year round. The Medicine Hat Police Service is hopeful that the increased education on current fraud trends, through Fraud Prevention Month, will reduce the number of people victimized by scams in the future. As always, if you believe you may have been a victim of a fraud or attempted fraud, contact a trusted person for support and call the police for assistance.

For more information on common frauds or scams and for information on how to protect yourself visit the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at www.antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca.

Media Contact:

A/Sgt Brent Bohrn
Medicine Hat Police Service
Community Support Unit
403-458-0209

Mass marketing and phone scams are currently one of the most common frauds. Ultimately, the fraudster wants to obtain your personal information or be provided money from you in any method. The difficulty in these types of frauds is that the targets believe they are dealing with a real company or someone they trust. The fraudsters sound very convincing and work hard to manipulate the people they call.

Whether is it by phone or by email, if you are not certain you are talking to someone legitimate, end the conversation and contact the business directly to confirm. Often fraudsters will use phone numbers that are “spoofed”, or copied, to look legitimate, or emails that look real but are not. A company will usually use its own name in the email address as a contact as opposed to an email ending in Gmail, Hotmail or Yahoo. These are easy things to confirm when you contact the businesses directly yourself.

One type of phone scam is an emergency scam or grandparent scam. The scammer contacts a person posing as their relative and they sound scared and quiet. They will call the victim by a generic name or title such as “Grandma” or “Grandpa”. When the victim calls them by the name of their grandchild, they will make up a story that they have been arrested for a crime (such as an impaired driving collision), they are being held in jail somewhere, and need money. They will often request that the money be wire transferred to a certain place, often out of the country and will say that the money is going to a lawyer, as bail, or for fines and they cannot tell their parents. Remember to always check with your family members to determine if an emergency call is legitimate before transferring money.

Another common scam involves people posing as professionals from the Canada Revenue Agency, Canada Border Services Agency, Microsoft or computer technical support, or government officials in hopes to gather personal information or have money sent to them. They may request e-transfers, gift card codes, crypto currency, or credit card information. Remember, no legitimate company or government agency will request gift cards codes or crypto currency as payment.

Always call the company/agency back at their phone number that you have researched and confirm if the situation is real.

In general, a good financially responsible rule is to always ask questions before transferring or investing. A professional will have no problem answering your questions, showing credentials, and providing references to prove they are legitimate.

For more information on common frauds or scams and for information on how to protect yourself visit the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at www.antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca.

Media Contact:

A/Sgt Brent Bohrn
Medicine Hat Police Service
Community Support Unit
403-458-0209

March is Fraud Prevention Month in Canada and each week throughout the month the Medicine Hat Police Service Community Support Unit is sharing information on common frauds and scams. This week’s focus is on investment style scams.

Investment scams can happen in person, over the phone, online, or through mail. The intent is to get someone to invest their money into an established industry, newly emerging sector, or any other type of opportunity. Once the money is obtained, it is not invested and kept by the person that it was provided to.

Ponzi schemes are based on investments that don’t exist. Early investors are paid some of the money provided by later investors until there are no new investors and the scheme ends. Typically, these are created by people offering high returns on money with low risks. The pyramid scheme often requests investors to find other investors and get them to invest as well. This keeps the scheme going for a longer period of time. Remember that when things seem too good to be true, they likely are.

Be wary of mass marketing scams where people attempt to convince you to invest in crypto currency. Again, these currencies are uncontrolled by governments and banks, and once money is deposited into another person’s digital wallet, the ability to return the funds or have a successful criminal investigation is very low.

Some tips to protect your money from these types of frauds are:

• Ask questions. If you weren’t satisfied with the answers, keep asking.
• Always be suspicious of high-pressure sales tactics.
• Investment decisions take time and consideration, don’t let someone rush you.
• Appearances and charisma are assistants to fraudsters. Pay attention to the situation and not as much as the person selling it.
• Always seek advice from professionals. Whether it be a lawyer, an accountant, or investment professionals.
• Never accept a verbal agreement; always get it in writing and keep it handy.
• Visit the Alberta Securities Commission (ASC) Investor Alerts to stay up to date on the latest investor alerts and notices.
• To legally sell securities in Alberta, an individual must be registered with ASC (with very limited exceptions)
   

To protect against these common frauds, it is important to remain vigilant and NEVER provide personal or financial information over the phone.

To keep yourself in the loop about Fraud Prevention Month activities occurring provincially, follow the hashtag #FPM2024 on social media or visit the Alberta Community Crime Prevention Association website.

For more information about frauds and scams visit the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.

Media Contact:

A/Sgt Brent Bohrn
Medicine Hat Police Service
Community Support Unit
Ph: 403-458-0209

Business scams are the most common of the face-to-face frauds reported to the Medicine Hat Police Service. These occur when people canvas neighborhoods looking to complete a service but require payment beforehand, or when scammers do door to door fundraising for an illegitimate purpose.

Before hiring someone to complete work at your home, it is important ask questions regarding past work, ask for references, or a website. Professional contractors will have no issues providing you with this information along with photos of their work. It is always a good idea to obtain quotes from more than one business prior to hiring them to complete a renovation or a project. If a quote is significantly cheaper than others, investigate with the contractor or company as to why this is. This may be an indication of a potential scam.

Be extremely cautious when hiring someone from an online resource in any capacity including as a contractor. Often, these “businesses” will operate on a buyer beware policy and will offer no reimbursement if the deal falls through. Never pay upfront over the internet for services to be completed. Once you have paid, it may become a civil issue for you to fight to have your work completed, or money returned. Online communities can be an excellent place to locate a potential service provider, but always meet with the contractor in person and go through the proper steps to verify their credentials before hiring them to complete any work.

Real estate fraud is another type of fraud that victimizes people. One scenario involves a person or a fraudulent company soliciting unsuspecting victims to invest in a business development or land purchase with a group of people. The property is often located outside of the country and is portrayed to produce significant profits in a very short time. Victims purchase a share of the real estate property, later to find out that the property does not exist, and they are unable to contact the scammer. Another type of real estate fraud involves the scammer listing a house on social media for sale or rent. Their target victims are people living far enough away that they are unable to conduct a walk through of the property prior to signing a lease or purchase agreement and paying a deposit. When the victims arrive at the address of their newly acquired property, they learn that the homeowners never listed the property, and the victims have no home to move into, and their deposit is lost.

If someone comes to your door, claiming to represent a company or charity, always ask to see his or her identification badge or supporting documentation before donating funds. If they cannot produce ID, there is a good chance that it is a scam. Even if they have an ID badge, but something still does not feel right, do not allow yourself to be pressured into donating money and contact the Medicine Hat Police Service at 403-529-8481 to report the suspicious behavior.

Media Contact:

A/Sgt Brent Bohrn
Medicine Hat Police Service
Community Support Unit
Ph: 403-458-0209

On the early morning of August 18, 2021, the Medicine Hat Police Service received a complaint of a stolen 2014 Dodge 3500 Ram truck.  Later this same day at about 7:30 pm MHPS patrol officers located the same stolen vehicle as it was being driven by a male.  Shortly thereafter the truck was abandoned and the male suspect fled on foot.  Police containment was immediately established and the male was quickly apprehended hiding in the backyard of a residence.

As a result, a 32-year-old Lethbridge male has been charged with the following offences and is currently being held for a Judicial Interim Release Hearing;

• Dangerous operation of a motor vehicle,
• Flight from police officer,
• Possession of stolen property over $5000
• Possession of stolen property under $5000

The MHPS would like to remind the public to secure vehicles when not in use and never to leave ignition keys or valuables within vehicles. 

Media Contact:
S/Sgt Jason Graham
403-529-8410

The Medicine Hat Police Service has noted a recent trend of vehicle entries throughout the City.  All of the entries have occurred to vehicles which have been unlocked and have contained valuables such as keys, credit cards and cash money.  

The Police Service is requesting the publics’ assistance in these matters by ensuring vehicles are locked and all valuables are removed or secured, and any suspicious activity is reported to the Police Service immediately.

In response to this trend, the Police Service will augment resource deployment; with the aim to identify offenders and hold them accountable for any illegal activities.

Anyone with information that could assist with this investigation is asked to contact the Medicine Hat Police Service at 403-529-8481. Tips may also be submitted via the MHPS Mobile App, which is free and available to download for both Apple and Android devices by searching ‘Medicine Hat Police Service’ on the Apple App Store or Google Play Store.

Media Contact:

S/Sgt. Cory Both

Patrol Section

Medicine Hat Police service

Ph: 403-529-8481

Nearly one million dollars’ worth of stolen property has been recovered following an extensive investigation into stolen holiday trailers and campers. ALERT’s Southeast Alberta Property Crime unit has charged two Medicine Hat men.
 
Following a three-month investigation, ALERT has recovered 13 stolen holiday travel trailers, and other stolen vehicles and property, worth an estimated $970,000. The other stolen property included a sports car, recreational vehicles, motorbikes, tools, and various vehicle parts.
 
“This was a complex, coordinated scheme that undoubtedly ruined many family’s summer vacation plans. However, the impact of organized crime extends beyond the victim, and is a cost that society collectively bears,” said Supt. Dwayne Lakusta, ALERT CEO.
 
ALERT alleges two Medicine Hat men were involved in the thefts, and fraudulently re-vinned the trailers before being re-sold. A search of one of the suspect’s homes yielded materials for making fraudulent VIN stickers.
 
“Vehicle theft is a serious issue that affects us all through higher insurance premiums and can also be a risk to personal safety. Insurance Bureau of Canada is pleased to have been involved in this investigation and we congratulate ALERT for their success in recovering the stolen property,” said Sid Kingma, Director, Investigative Services, Western and Pacific Region, IBC.
 
Nathan Herter, 36-year-old man, was arrested in Medicine Hat on June 18, 2021 and charged with theft over $5,000, possession of break and enter tools, suspended driving, and possession of drugs for the purpose of trafficking.
 
Mathew Hillier, a 36-year-old man, was arrested in Hope, BC on June 29, 2021 and charged with theft over $5,000 and possession of stolen property.
 
The thefts date as far back as December 2020 and spread across the westernmost provinces. ALERT’s investigation relied on the assistance of Service Alberta, Insurance Bureau of Canada, Medicine Hat Police, and various RCMP detachments.
 
ALERT continues to investigate and is not ruling out additional charges.
 
To date, ALERT has recovered:

• Elevation trailer stolen in Redcliff and recovered in Sylvan Lake;
• Keystone camper stolen in Dunmore and recovered in Lacombe County;
• Reflection camper stolen in Lacombe and recovered in Hope, BC;
• Cargo trailer stolen in Medicine Hat and recovered in Hope, BC;
• Cargo trailer stolen in Redcliff and recovered in Hope, BC;
• Keystone camper stolen in Medicine Hat and recovered in Tompkins, Sask.;
• Jayco camper stolen in Red Deer and recovered in Cypress County;
• Keystone trailer stolen in Medicine Hat and recovered in Langdon;
• Dutchman trailer stolen in Dunmore and recovered in Kelowna;
• Keystone camper stolen in Strathmore and recovered in County of Forty Mile;
• Sunvalley camper stolen in Lethbridge and recovered in Kelowna;
• Palamino trailer stolen in Regina, Sask. And recovered in Cypress County;
• Cargo trailer stolen in Lacombe and recovered in Brock, Sask.;
• Cargo trailer stolen in Drumheller and recovered in Brock, Sask;
• Keystone trailer stolen in Swift Current, Sask. and recovered in Calgary;
• Keystone camper stolen in Lacombe and recovered in Brock, Sask; and
• Mirage trailer stolen in Medicine Hat and recovered in Brock, Sask.

 
A number of trailers were purchased at steep discounts, and already in the possession of a third-party.
 
ALERT believes there are still numerous stolen trailers outstanding and the investigation is ongoing. If you believe you may have unknowingly purchased a stolen trailer, you can contact ALERT’s Southeast Alberta Regional Property Crime unit at 403-529-8481.
 
Members of the public who suspect drug or gang activity in their community can call local police, or contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477). Crime Stoppers is always anonymous.
 
ALERT was established and is funded by the Alberta Government and is a compilation of the province’s most sophisticated law enforcement resources committed to tackling serious and organized crime.