Police briefs | Belleville Intelligencer | #socialmedia | #hacking | #aihp

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Calls for service

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Belleville Police responded to 77 calls for service over a 24-hour period beginning at 5 a.m. on Tuesday to 5 a.m. Wednesday.

Attempted murder

Belleville Police have charged a Kingston man with two counts of attempted murder among other offences stemming from an incident June 25.

At 7:45 p.m. June 25, Belleville Police were called to attend a residence for reports of an unwanted male that was intoxicated and scaring his elderly parents. Upon arrival, police discovered an elderly female that had been seriously assaulted and also received information that another elderly male was currently being attacked by their adult son. Police entered the residence and discovered an adult male assaulting his elderly father. Police quickly intervened and subdued the male. The elderly parents had received serious but non-life-threatening injuries and were taken to Belleville General Hospital for treatment. Due to the seriousness of the assaults, the Belleville Police Service Forensic Identification Unit and Criminal Investigations Unit were called in to continue the investigation. As a result of the investigation, a fifty-one-year-old Kingston male was arrested and charged with, two counts of attempted murder, two counts of Utter Threats, and one count of Attempt choking. The male was held for a show cause hearing on June 26. The name of the accused is not being released to protect the identity of the victims.

Elderly fraud

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The Belleville Police Service is reminding the public to be very suspicious of unsolicited telephone calls requesting money related to family members being arrested and held for bail. The public is reminded that no one from a legitimate law enforcement agency or the courts would ever call and demand money for a bail situation. Belleville Police want to warn the public that these scammers will prey on people’s emotions. Belleville Police urge people to question anyone demanding money or personal information. If a person claims to be from a police service, you can call the service directly to confirm the situation.

Belleville Police received reports of a possible fraud in progress on June 24 at 3:02 p.m., receiving information that an elderly male had received phone calls advising that his grandson was in jail in British Columbia. The elderly male was asked to attend his bank and take out a large amount of cash, and attend an address within the City of Belleville to get his grandson out of jail. Belleville Police advised the male that this was a scam and not to provide money to anyone. While investigating this incident, the Belleville Police received a second complaint of the same scam. Investigation into the original complaint led Belleville Police to identify a potential meeting point for the cash exchange. Belleville Police were able to attend the area and arrest Jose Angel Acostia-Tabia, 22, of Laval, Quebec. Acostia- Tabia was charged with two counts of Fraud over $5,000 dollars and one count of attempted Fraud over $5,000 dollars and was held for a show cause hearing on June 25.

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For more information on this or other scams and how to protect yourself, go to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre website.

Identity fraud

On Wednesday an officer was on patrol on Bell Boulevard when they noticed a vehicle stop beyond the white line at a stop sign. Officers initiated a traffic stop and spoke with the male driver. The male provided an Ontario driver’s license however, the driver did not appear to be the same person operating the motor vehicle. At the time of the traffic stop, officers were not able to definitively determine if the driver was lying to the police and the driver was subsequently sent on his way. Upon further investigation officers determined the driver had provided a false name and documentation. The vehicle was located within the city and seized.  The true identity of the driver was determined and an arrest warrant for a Wasaga Beach male has been requested for one count of Identity Fraud and several Highway Traffic violations.

Police assistance

On Sunday at approximately 10:45 p.m., unknown suspects broke into a maintenance building on the property of Sir James Whitney School on Dundas Street West. Once inside, the suspects removed a quantity of lawn power equipment, power tools and stole a 2008 Black Dodge Ram pickup truck that was parked inside. The truck is believed to have travelled at a high rate of speed around the city throughout the night and early morning, mostly within the south and east end. Mid-morning, the truck was located abandoned a short distance from the police station however the stolen property was not recovered. If anyone has information please contact Constable Ben Walden at bwalden@bellevilleps.ca or 613-966-0882 x4230.

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Three vehicle crash

On Wednesday at 9:30 a.m. Belleville Police attended the intersection of Dundas S W and Holmes Rd for a three vehicle crash. One driver was transported to hospital with non-life threatning injuries. Charges are pending. All lanes of Dundas St W are now open.

OPP warn of sextortion scams

The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) would like to warn the public of sextortion scams that are circulating within East Region and throughout Ontario.

Recent reports of sextortion involve scammers contacting the victim through social media or online dating sites and threatening to share intimate photos of them to their family, friends and contacts unless the victim pays them a sum of money.

The scammer often requests the funds be sent via a money transfer services, cryptocurrencies and/or gift cards. According to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC), extortion frauds represented $17 million in reported losses in 2021 and more than $16.4 million in 2020.

Sextortion frauds can begin on any social media site, dating site or online game where the context is for people to meet and communicate virtually. The shame, fear and confusion victims feel when they become caught in this cycle often prevents them from coming forward and asking for help. 

How can you protect yourself?

• Beware of unknown persons who attempt to communicate with you over the internet

• Never send money to people you do not know

• Never send compromising photos to anyone, regardless of who you may think the person is

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• Cover web cameras when not is use

• Do not store sensitive/intimate images or information online or on your mobile device

• Use strong passwords and do not use the same password for multiple social media accounts/websites

• Ensure that security settings for social media accounts are activated and set at the highest level of privacy protection

• Report abuse to the various social media platforms, in order to ensure the scammers are held accountable and to prevent further victims.

If a scammer contacts you or if you have been defrauded, contact your local police service or the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501 or visit their website at www.antifraudcentre.ca.

Mental Health services are available to everyone across the province. Contact Connex Ontario at 1-866-531-2600 or online at http://www.connexontario.ca/ for resources and information.