COURTENAY, B.C- Police in the Comox Valley are looking for a man who followed a boy in Comox this week.
According to the detachment’s weekly bulletin, the incident took place on July 24 around 4:30 p.m. The young man had been walking along Guthrie Road near Anderton when he was followed by a man who appeared to be homeless.
While he was following the boy, the man made an inappropriate comment. The man continued to follow the boy toward Highland School, where the boy was picked up. The man later carried on walking on Guthrie.
The man appeared to be in his 60’s, with a large grey beard. He was white, wearing a blue shirt and blue pants, and carried a grey winter coat.
“The Comox Valley RCMP would like to remind anyone encountering a similar situation to notify police at the first opportunity,” read the bulletin.
“Police are still working to identify this man and speak with him.”
Officers also dealt with a telephone scam on July 26.
“The suspect made a call and presented himself as an employee of BC Hydro and claimed that the victim had not paid their BC Hydro bill and if they didn’t pay now then their power would be shut off,” read the bulletin.
“To pay the account, the suspect requested payment in the form of prepaid Mastercards. The Comox Valley RCMP would like our residents to be aware of this scam – BC Hydro will never ask for banking or credit card information over the phone and certainly will not take payment in the form of prepaid credit cards.”
Constable Monika Terragni, spokesperson for the detachment, said that it was important for people to be aware of fraud.
“As the result of fraud, retirement savings, homes, businesses and in some cases, lives have all been lost,” said Terragni.
“If you’re ever seeking more information about frauds/scams, visit the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre website — there is a wealth of valuable information there which is well worth the time to read.”
Beyond the fraud file and search for the man, the detachment is asking for residents of the Valley to treat four-way stops with caution, after several minor collisions at the sites.
They’re also looking for suspects after buildings along Lake Trail Road and 5th Street in Courtenay were spray painted.
A few words were written on the buildings, and an ice machine was unplugged and moved.
Anyone with information about any of these incidents should contact the RCMP.
