PHOTO COURTESY AMBER POELZER - Amber Poelzer's children pose while on duty as ninjas to help dole out gifts as a part of a Facebook group in this undated photo.
A proliferation of online gift-giving groups has spread community spirit and goodwill, but Medicine Hat police are reminding those involved to take extra precautions.
Whether it’s delivering bottles of wine or baskets of treats to your door, sharing personal information with strangers comes with a certain degree of risk.
“We don’t want to take away the goodness and the purpose behind these good gestures and dropping off these bags of goodies,” said Staff Sgt. Darlene Garrecht with the Medicine Hat Police Service. “But people also have to be aware that people that are in this group have access to your address, some are posting their phone numbers.
“This also allows predators … easier access to whoever these people may be. We don’t want to make their jobs any easier for them.”
Groups began showing up at the start of the pandemic. They operate on the same premise: share your address and gift preferences, and someone will surprise you by leaving it on your doorstep. You agree to give to someone else on the group in return.
Medicine Hat Booze Ninjas on Facebook is for women only and has more than 4,700 members, while a men’s group called Medicine Hat Whiskey Wizards (men only) has topped 600. There’s even a Medicine Hat 420 Friendly Ninjas with 350 members.
Booze Ninjas creator Amber Poelzer has had a lot of fun spreading love to others, though she sees the police’s point of view.
“The booze ones are super fun,” said Poelzer, who also runs a group called Love is Louder that aims to help kids in need. “I think it’s brought a lot of light to people going through this, and I can see people are having a blast with it.
“I completely understand where the police are coming from because as it grows, it’s harder to control.”
The bigger issue for Poelzer – and police – occurs with groups designed for children. Poelzer sent a message to her groups Monday advising people not to participate in those groups. She says every one of her new group members is carefully vetted as well.
“With the kids ones I find it super touchy because you’re posting your child’s information, how old they are and where they live,” she said.
Cops haven’t handled any complaints yet, but Garrecht notes people sneaking around residences while wearing costumes could be taken the wrong way by those who aren’t aware of the kind intent.
She says there are measures you can take online to mitigate risk of predators.
“If they want to participate in these groups, make sure their security settings on their profile are secure,” said Garrecht. “If they’re not, it allows anybody to click on their profile and view any of their posts or their pictures.
“It gives a lot more information than just the address they’re posting.”
There’s also the matter of ensuring COVID-19 isn’t potentially spread via the gifts. Alberta Health Services declined comment for this story when contacted Monday but international lab studies have shown the virus can remain on paper for about a day, but on plastic for up to three days. No infections in Canada have been traced back to parcels according to Health Canada.
“We certainly don’t want to take away from the fun of this, just want everyone to be safe,” said Garrecht.
