The Medicine Hat Police Service seized more than $30,000 in toys and DVDs obtained through fraud from stores in Medicine Hat, Brooks, Taber, Lethbridge, Swift Current, Calgary and Drumheller. Pictured: Staff Sgt. Cory Both.--NEWS PHOTO JEREMY APPEL
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Medicine Hat police have seized more than $30,000 in fraudulently-obtained toys and DVDs after dismantling a stolen property operation that spanned southern Alberta and southwestern Saskatchewan.
The six-week investigation concluded Thursday with the arrest of Charles Dale Glasier, 37, who faces one count of global fraud over $5,000 and possessing stolen property over $5,000.
Staff Sgt. Cory Both told the News he can’t provide too many details of how the fraudulent transactions occurred to avoid encouraging copycat operations.
“We don’t want to broadcast that, so people can duplicate it,” he said. “There’s a way they were manipulating the price coding and using self-checkouts to defeat any store security measures.”
Both says Glasier was able to obtain these items for a fraction of their retail price, intending to sell them for a profit online.
“It’s marketable stuff and it’s in the box. There’s a collectors market out there that will pay top dollar for this stuff,” he said.
Although the alleged crimes took place in seven cities – the Hat, Swift Current, Brooks, Calgary, Lethbridge, Taber and Drumheller – the Medicine Hat Police Service worked independently to apprehend Glasier, Both said.
The operation was brought to the MHPS’s attention by employees of the stores themselves, he added.
“Our Priority Street Crimes team was able to liaise with different store management. A lot of credit goes to the loss-prevention officers from these big box retail stores and their network of officers from various cities,” said Both. “We were able to do it all from here and tie it together without having to work with any other agencies on this.”
Much credit belongs to these loss-prevention officers, he emphasized.
“They were paying attention. They’re very good at what they do and our relationship is excellent,” Both said. “We work with our LPOs to build that relationship for this purpose.”
A news release from the MHPS announcing the bust notes that fraud is on the rise in Canada.
Citing figures from the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, the release notes the total value of fraud reported by businesses across the country in 2017 was $30 million, a 78 per cent increase from the previous year.
Retailers lose as much as $3 billion annually, or $8 million a day, due to theft and shoplifting, according to the Retail Council of Canada, the release also cited.
