Fake profiles, con artists and blackmail: Online scams proliferate in troubled times, says prof
A Sackville resident’s Facebook profile was recently duplicated, or spoofed, in an apparent failed attempt at a confidence scam.
The social media platform soon removed the fake account, after users reported the case of identity theft to Facebook.
But it’s just one of the online scams that proliferate during troubled times, according to an expert in identity theft and fraud.
“So often they’re playing on people’s emotions in their darkest hours,” said William Kresse, a professor at the Governors State University near Chicago, Ill.
Listen to the report from CHMA:
CHMA News has agreed not to disclose the identity of the man whose identity was fraudulently duplicated in the attempted scam.
The fake account appeared to be an exact double of the original, using his name, profile picture and banner photo: a picture of his grandchildren.
The spoofed account attempted to add at least some of the man’s contacts as friends. This reporter was among those who received a friend request. The spoofed account then initiated a chat using Facebook Messenger.
‘Gradient community outreach’
It started out with small talk, but the conversation quickly took a strange turn when the scamster asked about something called the “gradient community outreach support program.”
This kind of scam is well-documented online.
Typically the fake account claims that the intended victim is eligible for a large financial assistance grant worth tens of thousands of dollars, but they have to pay a fee. … Continue
Police seek possible victims in southeast N.B. after man, 37, charged with sexual assault, sexual interference
The New Brunswick RCMP are looking for possible victims of a 37-year-old Moncton man who is facing charges of sexual assault and other offences.
The man was arrested in Fredericton in November following reports that someone was videotaping children at hotel pools, according to a statement from the New Brunswick RCMP. He was charged and released on conditions, and then arrested in December by Codiac Regional RCMP for breach of conditions.
Stephen Blackwood recently appeared in Moncton Provincial Court and was charged with sexual assault and sexual interference in connection with an incident at a school in November. He was placed in custody and was scheduled to return to court on Feb. 10.
The RCMP say there were similar offences in the Moncton region and surrounding areas dating back to 2018. He was known to frequent the Shediac Wharf last summer, where he would allegedly approach children and ask them if they would perform a dance for his YouTube channel, where he is known as “Blamzooka”, according to the RCMP. There are reports of similar incidents at Magic Mountain in Moncton, dating back to 2018.
Other places that he visited included Parlee Beach, hotel pools and public pools such as the Dieppe Aquatic Centre, according to the RCMP. Police believe there may also have been other locations. He was also a supply teacher between late October and early November of last year at a number of schools in the Anglophone East School District. … Continue
RCMP release video stills in hopes of identifying Memramcook arson suspects
Sackville RCMP have released surveillance video stills in hopes of identifying two people suspected of setting fire to a residence last week in Memramcook.
At about 10am on Wednesday, September 28, 2022, the RCMP and Memramcook Fire Department responded to a report of a fire at a residence on Rue Principale in Memramcook. Police determined that the fire had been intentionally set by “two individuals who poured gasoline all over the house, and lit it on fire.”
No one was home at the time of the incident. The New Brunswick Fire Marshal’s office is assisting with the ongoing police investigation.
An RCMP news release describes the two suspects:
“The first individual is described as a male with a medium build, wearing a blue ball cap with a “Jordan” logo on the front, a light green hooded sweatshirt, orange pants, and dark sneakers. The second individual is described as being a female with a thin build, wearing a black hooded sweater, black pants, and white sneakers.”
Police are asking anyone with information on the incident or the suspects to contact the RCMP Sackville detachment at 506-364-5023. To remain anonymous, people can call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), or submit a tip at www.crimenb.ca.… Continue
Pleas coming in November for Leblanc and Trenholme
A Sackville man and woman who first appeared in Moncton provincial court in June on joint charges of possessing cocaine and methamphetamine for the purpose of trafficking will not plead to charges until November 4.
Colt Leblanc and Cheryl Trenholme are also charged with laundering over $35,000 believed to be obtained in the trafficking of illegal drugs. Their case was adjourned in June so that Trenholme could secure a lawyer, and on Tuesday was adjourned again to allow for disclosure of evidence, according to a report by the Times and Transcript.
The charges against Leblanc and Trenholme stem from a cross border investigation involving the Nova Scotia RCMP, which saw eight people in Sackville, Amherst and Moncton arrested on various drug charges in February.
Related:
Sackville man gets four years for cocaine and meth trafficking, assault and other charges
A 27-year-old Sackville man has been sentenced to four years in prison after pleading guilty to a series of charges stemming from an interprovincial drug trafficking investigation.
Taylor Allen Cole appeared in Moncton Law Courts for sentencing on Wednesday afternoon.
He previously pleaded guilty to multiple charges that included possession of cocaine and crystal meth for the purposes of trafficking, and assaulting a man by striking him with a shovel.
His sentencing follows what the RCMP called a “months-long inter-provincial drug trafficking investigation” in March.
That’s when police announced charges against Cole and seven other people from Sackville, Grande-Digue, Memramcook, and Amherst.
On Wednesday, provincial and federal crown prosecutors went over an agreed statement of facts about the case.
Cole sold cocaine by the ounce to undercover police on three occasions before a search warrant was executed on his home on Stephens Drive in Sackville.
Police found 80 grams of crystal meth, 26 grams of psilocybin mushrooms, more than $8,000 in cash, and items that included scales, baggies, eight cellphones, a cocaine press and a money counter.
They also found a .22 calibre handgun and two silencers, at a time when he was under a release order not to own or possess any firearms. … Continue
Codiac and Sackville RCMP arrest man in Frosty Hollow after threats with a weapon in Moncton
A section of the 106 around Frosty Hollow was closed off by RCMP on Tuesday morning, as police located and arrested a man in relation to a disturbance in Moncton earlier in the morning.
Sackville and Codiac police had been searching a wide area spanning from Dorchester to Jolicure before locating the 36-year-old man in Frosty Hollow.
Codiac police staff sergeant Dave MacDonnell tells CHMA that the incident began with a call of a disturbance and threats involving a firearm in the Lutz Street area of Moncton at 6:15am. A man and a woman fled the scene before police arrived. The woman was then located and arrested at a hotel on Dieppe Blvd.
“The investigation then led police to believe that the male suspect was located in the region surrounding Sackville and Dorchester, including Wood Point and Jolicure,” says MacDonnell. The RCMP issued warnings on social media about the operation, but did not issue an Alert Ready message, which would go directly to cell phones in designated areas.
“The situation did not meet the criteria for a radio alert or an Alert Ready message,” says MacDonnell. “However, police were ready to issue one should there have been a need.”
Police did alert the Anglophone East School District of the operation at around 10:30am, and schools in Sackville and Dorchester were put on “hold and secure” until the operation was complete, shortly after 11am.… Continue
UPDATE: Car abandoned in Bay of Fundy was stolen the previous night: RCMP
This story was updated on June 1, 2022, to include information from the Sackville RCMP.
An abandoned car found in the Bay of Fundy had been stolen the previous night, according to police.
The Hyundai Elantra was found partially submerged near Rockport, about 25 minutes south of Sackville, on Friday, May 27.
“This vehicle was stolen from Dieppe the night before,” Cpl. Brian Villers of the Sackville RCMP said in an email on June 1. The soaked sedan was reported by a Lower Rockport resident.
“It had been submerged at least to the windows at high tide and hence there was nothing for our Identification Section to examine,” he said. The vehicle was towed from the scene.
Sackville Fire and Rescue were also dispatched to the scene, according to Deputy Chief Mike Green. In an email, he said “the tide was going out and the car was on the mudflat.”
The person who called emergency services about the vehicle had already waded out to the car, and found that nobody was inside.
Green added that when the RCMP showed up, the Mounties checked the plate and told firefighters they were no longer needed at the scene.… Continue
UPDATE: Dump truck incident on Lower Walker Road ‘could have been fatal,’ says WorkSafeNB
This story was updated on June 1, 2022 to include new information from WorkSafeNB.
A seatbelt may have saved the life of a dump truck driver whose vehicle flipped onto its side last week, according to WorkSafeNB.
The driver escaped with minor injuries, but the incident could have been fatal.
The emergency call came in around 7:30 a.m. on Tuesday, May 24, Cpl. Brian Villers of the Sackville RCMP said in an email last week.
The vehicle flipped onto its side, trapping the 58-year-old driver in the cab of the truck. The incident took place at a worksite located at 132 Lower Walker Road.
The driver was extracted from the truck, and taken to hospital via ambulance with minor injuries, according to Villers.
Ambulance NB and Sackville Fire and Rescue also attended the scene. No other vehicles were involved in the incident, according to Sackville fire chief Craig Bowser.
A spokesperson for WorkSafeNB provided a statement about the agency’s investigation on June 1.
“An experienced worker was operating a dump truck when the wheel [sank] into freshly bulldozed material” and the vehicle flipped, Laragh Dooley said in an email.
“The worker suffered shoulder and collarbone injuries. Fortunately, the worker was wearing a seatbelt – otherwise this could have been much more serious, even fatal.”
… Continue
Sackville to replace another community police officer without reviewing position
Sackville’s community policing officer has left her job after one and a half years.
Lise Babineau started as Community Program Officer (CPO) at the height of the pandemic, in October 2020. According to her monthly reports to council, the CPO visited schools and delivered a substance abuse prevention program called Botvin Lifeskills Training. Though various councillors had requested that Babineau come talk about her work at council, she never appeared in a public meeting.
In presenting a public safety report to council in April, Councillor Andrew Black said that RCMP Sergeant Paul Gagne called Babineau “highly competent and committed” and said that she would be “sorely missed by the department and the town.”
Babineau’s position is not included in the RCMP union contract, but is negotiated as an additional position under the town’s Municipal Police Services Agreement (MPSA). The town of Sackville budgets $90,000 for the position, plus $3,250 for project expenses.
At April’s meeting, Councillor Sabine Dietz asked CAO Jamie Burke about whether or not the town intended to replace the departing CPO. Burke responded yes, and explained that the RCMP had already reached out to him to confirm the hiring process that would be used.
“It hasn’t been that long since we hired Lise [Babineau], so they wanted to confirm that we would use the same process as last time,” said Burke. During the last hiring process, recreation director Matt Pryde sat in to represent the town, and Burke said the intention would be to do that again.… Continue
Suspected overdose death in Sackville Friday; advocates call for harm reduction, safe supply
A young man died Friday night in Sackville from a suspected overdose.
The Southeast District RCMP responded to a 911 call just before midnight on Friday, and upon arriving at Uncle Larry’s bar on Main Street in Sackville, found a 24-year-old male with no pulse. Corporal Brian Villers said he could not confirm the exact cause of death until an autopsy was completed, but it appeared to be due to an overdose.
Villers says this is the only sudden death reported to the Sackville detachment recently that is suspected of being an overdose. However, support workers have reported a string of overdoses in nearby Moncton recently, all seemingly connected to a similar substance.
High risk synthetic opioid in circulation
Debby Warren is the executive director of Ensemble Moncton, an organization which specializes in harm reduction for people using drugs and suffering from addiction. Warren says there is a dangerous supply of a synthetic opioid pills called Shady 8s circulating in the region. The pills get their name from the pharmaceutical-grade pill they are manufactured to imitate, Dilaudid 8.
Warren says she knows of six recent overdoses in Moncton all connected to a similar substance, all in people who survived with the help of a drug called Naloxone and having people nearby to administer it.… Continue