As we head into the busy Christmas shopping season, Calgary police, along with four major retailers, are getting together as part of a new awareness campaign to warn consumers about the consequences of buying stolen goods.

From now until the end of December, police are working with Loblaws, London Drugs, TJX Canada, and Mark’s, as well as Crime Stoppers and RetailCOP, to launch an advertising campaign to highlight the cost of retail crime by organized groups.

Officials say that organized crime groups are stealing large amounts of consumer goods, usually through shoplifting schemes, and then reselling them for cash through ads, online auctions, flea markets, or the black market.

These types of crimes end up costing retailers about $4.6B every year, and those costs end up being passed on to the consumer in the form of higher prices so retailers can make up for the lost items and invest in new security measures.

“Organized retail crime impacts the safety and security of our employees and the consumers,” says Tony Hunt, General Manager of Loss Prevention at London Drugs in a release. “The individuals committing these thefts are often desperate and prone to violent behavior. Many incidents of retail theft involve some type of violence.”

Police say the crime can also aid criminals into moving on into riskier ventures that can prove to be more dangerous to the public.

The money obtained through such crime can also end up going straight into the drug trade, police say.

“We know that many of the goods stolen in our city are initially traded for drugs which means when those same goods are sold down the road, the money is going directly to the drug trade and to people who have little regard for the safety of our communities,” said Cst. Andrew Critchley with the CPS in a release.

In late October, police arrested and charged two seniors for selling stolen goods at a Calgary flea market.

On October 25, investigators received a tip from a retailer at the flea market on 5 Avenue N.W. that another person there appeared to be selling stolen merchandise.

A further investigation into the case led to executing a search warrant at a home in the 1400 block of 19 Avenue N.W. There, police found new clothing, toiletry items, and camping equipment, all brand new, worth an estimated $56,000.

Sonia Kereluk, 75, and William Henry Fisher, 69, have been charged in connection with that incident and are awaiting court dates in December.

Police are hoping the campaign will help inform residents who are looking for deals heading into the busy Christmas season.

They’re also offering the following tips to keep in mind to help prevent the trade of stolen goods:

  • Conducting business with licenced, reputable businesses only
  • Doing cost comparisons between goods for sale and their actual retail value – if the deal is too good to be true, something may be wrong
  • Making inquiries with the seller about where they obtained their merchandise and why they’re selling it so cheaply
  • When buying online, check what else the seller has to offer. If they are new goods and are not a business, it should be a major concern.

Any suspicious activity can be reported to the CPS non-emergency line at 403-266-1234 or Crime Stoppers anonymously using any of the following methods:

TALK: 1-800-222-8477
TYPE: www.calgarycrimestoppers.org
TEXT: tttTIPS to 274637