The Whistler RCMP are trying to locate a fraud artist who shoplifts goods from stores and returns the merchandise for cash without a receipt.
According to Const. Jeff Loeppky, the man they suspect has a record for similar fraud in Langley, and RCMP there are forwarding a picture to take to Whistler stores that have been targeted.
"Yesterday (Sept. 17) we made a lot of progress in determining who he is, and where he hangs out," says Loeppky. "We heard he was going to Ontario or Quebec, and all the bus companies are looking for him."
Meanwhile the Whistler Chamber of Commerce has issued a release to local businesses to warn them about the fraud.
According to the release, the man is impatient and tells a story about being in Whistler for two days, and that his wife and child are waiting for him. When store employees ask him for a receipt, he gets angry and makes a scene. Intimidated employees have given him money, allowed him to exchange larger items for smaller ones, and cash returns that are less than the listed amount.
He is approximately 40 years old, about 178 centimetres (five feet, nine inches) tall, and about 160 pounds. He has thinning curly dark hair and pale skin, and carries a blue or green backpack.
He has already been to Cows, Wild Willies, Forget Me Not, Jiggy’s and McCoo’s. The first reported incident in Whistler was July 28.
If you have any information relevant to the case, contact the RCMP at 604-932-3044.
