4 fraudsters involved in deaf scam at local mall: Lake Louise RCMP

Lake Louise RCMP say 4 fraudsters pretending to be collecting donations for charity at a local mall last Friday. (Photo courtesy Lake Louise RCMP)

Lake Louise RCMP are warning of a recent charity scam that saw four people pretending to be deaf, collecting donations at a local mall.

On March 8, officers were alerted to reports of four people at Samson Mall, who were carrying clipboards that appeared to indicate they were raising money for a charity that was looking to open "an international centre" for "physical hearing oppressed people."

Officials say the group pretended to be deaf while attempting to solicit donations from shoppers and businesses.

One of the suspects is believed to have aggressively gestured at a till, trying to get the cashier to open it.

When police were called, the suspects left.

Police believe the same scam was attempted in the Town of Banff earlier last Friday.

Loretta Wall, president of the Calgary Association of the Deaf, said they never send people out to collect money.

The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre said that charity and donation scams are quite common. They usually involve convincing someone to make a donation to a charity association or religious cause, utilizing high-pressure tactics to get the individual to donate on the spot.

For more information, go here.