A bank employee in Sidney was suspicious enough of a customer’s request that they decided to check the facts for themselves.
On March 4, a Sidney bank employee was approached by a man who wished to obtain a new debit card for his account. That account was with the same bank but at anther branch in Ontario. According to the Sidney North Saanich RCMP, the bank teller thought the man’s identification looked unusual and they decided to call the account holder in Ontario.
That person, said police in a statement, confirmed that this was an attempted fraud. The bank employee called the police and officers arrested the man in the bank.
“A search of the suspect following his arrest turned up several other sets of fraudulent identification in other people’s names,” stated Corporal Douglas Wilson in a statement. “It turned out that the suspect had a long criminal history of similar offenses back on Ontario and had recently arrived in British Columbia to try his luck out here.”
Further investigation revealed the same person had attempted a similar fraud at a downtown Victoria branch of the same bank, was also discovered, and fled the building before police could be called.
The man has been charged with Fraud under $5,000, as well as other offenses related to the Sidney and the Victoria incidents, including Possession of Forged Documents and Possession of Stolen Identification.
The Justice of the Peace who conducted the man’s bail hearing noted that since he was from Toronto, he is a flight risk and ordered he be held in police custody until his next court appearance in Victoria.
— with files from the Sidney North Saanich RCMP
