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Traffic stop leads to skimming arrests

RCMP Briefs: Man arrested for prohibited driving
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A Pemberton traffic stop last Tuesday (Feb. 6) afternoon resulted in three arrests.

Around 2 p.m., Pemberton RCMP stopped a speeding vehicle, which they determined was uninsured. The driver, a 36-year-old from Surrey, was wanted on two outstanding warrants out of Kamloops. He was arrested and after police searched the car further, they found items used for creating false identification and items police believe to be related to credit-card skimmers and creating fake credit cards. The driver is being held in custody.

After further investigation, Pemberton RCMP determined there were others connected to the driver and worked with Whistler RCMP to arrest two people in the 4400 block of Sundial Place.

According to an RCMP release, police arrested a 31-year-old “prolific offender” from Abbotsford who was wanted on three warrants totalling 19 charges from three separate Lower Mainland jurisdictions. He is being held in custody and will appear in North Vancouver court. The second person arrested is an 18-year-old Abbotsford woman who had been reported missing. She was released without charge and returned home.

Police are continuing to investigate and expect to lay additional charges.

“This is an excellent example of coordination and tenacity in the Sea to Sky Corridor on the part of Pemberton and Whistler RCMP members to ensure these folks were stopped from continuing their criminal behaviour in our communities,” Staff Sgt. Paul Hayes said in a release.

Anyone with further information is asked to contact Whistler RCMP at 604-932-3044 or Pemberton RCMP at 604-894-6634. Anyone wishing to make a report while remaining anonymous can contact CrimeStoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or www.solvecrime.ca.

In the release, RCMP reminded customers to protect their debit and credit cards by shielding their personal identification numbers (PIN) and swiping cards themselves, instead of the cashier, when making purchases. If the cashier must swipe the card, customers should watch the card at all times.

Fraud using debit and credit cards happens when someone swipes the information from the magnetic strip on the back of the card in order to create a duplicate. The thief also needs to also learn the PIN in order to use a fraudulent debit card, while a fake credit card can be used in stores, over the phone or online.

Anyone who suspects they have found tampered pin-pad or point-of-sale equipment or has been the victim of fraud is encouraged to call their bank or credit-card company, and credit bureaus to have a fraud alert placed on their reports (Equifax at 1-800-465-7166 and TransUnion at 1-877-525-3823). These people should also notify police and after receiving a police file number, report it to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501 or http://www.antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca.