The following tip on Scams was provided to me by Joan Smith, an Island resident and long time friend of the RCMP. I'm suspicious by nature, and usually hang up immediately on scammers, however it's an ongoing problem and they still manage to defraud thousands of Canadians every year. This tip is probably the MOST important clue, and I will admit, until Joan brought it to my attention, it had not occurred to me either:

Everybody is receiving either phone or email scams these days. So what big clues are given?

The most important one to watch for is, DID they identify you by name? Most of the phone messages are recorded, and start with “Your Visa account is....”, or “you owe the government income tax...” LISTEN carefully. DID they identify you by name? So if you're visiting Mrs. Jones' home and the phone rings and she asks you to answer it for her, it will start with “YOUR Visa account....” So the next time you get a phone call saying you owe something, ASK them, just for fun, if it's for your spouse or yourself. Or ask “what is the name of the person who owes it?” You'll learn if it's a recorded message, and if it's a real person, be prepared for them to swear at YOU for figuring them out!

An accountant has stated that IF you phone the bank, they ask you for information like your account number, how much is in your chequing account, etc. So if they are supposedly phoning you, YOU have the right to ask them what name is on the account, what is the number of the account (or what is the SIN number if it regards Income tax of other government “debt”), how much was in the account, etc.. Probably they won't answer because it's a recorded message, but if it isn't they WON”T be able to give you that information.

If it's an email and your email address is joanjones.... again they either don't identify you, or they'll say “dear joanjones”. It is an advantage to have an address other than your exact name, so you might have used jonsiej... so it'll say “dear jonsiej...” NOBODY calls you by that name, but if it's a scam, they DON”T know your real name!

If they don't KNOW you by name, with either email or phone call, it's a scam!

Quadra Update:
The Quadra Island RCMP would like to remind everyone that School is resuming this week. The school zone runs from the intersection of West and Heriot Bay Rd, past the Gas N Go, to Harper Rd. Please slow down, and respect the cross walk when pedestrians are waiting. We will be conducting enforcement throughout the year, so please mind your speed.

We would also like to remind people to report suspicious behaviour, thefts, or impaired driving. Within the last week we issued a 90 Day Immediate Roadside Prohibition. This was at 11:30 A.M, driving home the point that impaired driving is not strictly a late night offence, and jeopardizes the safety of everyone on the road.

It was recently advised by BC Parks staff at Rebecca Spit, that a large dog was off leash and chased a deer fawn into the water, drowning it. This was allegedly observed by someone walking their small dog in the park at the time, who in turn brought this to the attention of Park Staff. We would be interested in speaking to this witness to gather further details and confirm the report. If you witnessed this incident, please contact us at the Quadra Island Detachment.

Thank you,

Please stay safe and follow social distancing guidelines


Cpl. Sean Bulford
Regimental No. 54239
NCO i/c
Quadra Island Detachment
(250)285-3631
cell: (250)204-1676