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New West Police Arrest Debit Card Scammers

e FRAUD

Barbara K. Adamski OP Contributor

New Westminster Police warn debit-card users to be extra vigilant when entering their PIN number. They also urge owners of businesses to make regular inspections of their premises, particularly if there is a short turnover of staff.

On the evening of June15, 2003, New Westminster Police Department arrested two males in possession of just over 1000 debit cards, which had been successfully forged in an elaborate scam. The crime took place at the Super Save Gas Station on Westwood Street, Coquitlam, BC, between April 16, and May 6, 2003. Iman Aklagh Moayed (20) of Coquitlam, BC, and Armin Aghvami (21) of Port Moody, BC were arrested and taken into custody. Both were released on bail June 26, 2003. A third suspect, a short- term employee who quit shortly after May 6, was also involved in the plot.

Staff Sergeant Casey Dehass credits the Department’s good investigative techniques

for averting a fraud that could have led to more than two million dollars being with- drawn from customers’ accounts. An overhead camera, secretly planted above the debit card keypad, recorded PIN num- bers and the date and time of transactions. A highly sophisticated skimming device was installed in the phone line dedicated to the transmission of financial data from the cash register to the bank. This device intercepted the financial information pertaining to each debit card and provided the date and time of the transaction. The information was then copied to blank debit cards and the PIN number was written on the card to facilitate withdrawal of funds.

New Westminster Police would not comment on how they came to be the depart- ment investigating this Coquitlam crime. Further court proceedings will be conducted in the city of New Westminster.

Release of additional information will be subject to a court-imposed publication ban.

July 2003

Mail Theft Increasing

Sara James News Editor

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Police departments throughout the Lower mainland are reporting an increase mail theft. RCMP have issued several advisories, regard- ing the rash of thefts, in recent weeks.

Thieves are targeting apartment mailboxes and Canada Post mail- boxes. Several incidents have been reported in Surrey.

The most recent incident occurred on June 17. According to Surrey RCMP, a woman spotted a male dressed in a Canada Post uniform removing mail from an apartment mailbox in the Guildford area. She confronted the man and asked to see his Canada Post identification and where his truck was parked. Unable to provide the requested information, the suspect fled the scene, but not before the woman grabbed a Canada Post bag from the man. Stolen mail and a counterfeit mailbox key were found inside the bag.

The suspect is described as a white male, 35-years-old, 6’1” tall, 170 pounds, with long hair and a receding hairline. Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact Constible Sanchez at 604.599.7777 mailbox 3798.

In the month preceding this incident, the Surrey RCMP have made two large recoveries of stolen mail and have arrested five men.

Stolen mail is most often used for identity theft. Victims of mail theft may not be aware of the occurrence or several months, or even a couple of years. Thieves use information obtained from stolen mail to apply for credit cards, bank cards, in-store credit, and bank loans. Thieves will often hold stolen personal information for up to two years before using it.

The RCMP are reminding the public to take the following pre-

cautions:

Don’t drop off mail in an outdoor mailbox after the mail has been picked up for the day.

Scrutinize your bank and credit card statements carefully every month. Report any unauthorized transactions.

Monitor your incoming mail. Immediately report any overdue bills or statements.

Pick up new credit cards and/or bank cards at your local bank branch.

Dont leave undelivered mail out in the open.

Report suspicious activity to police immediately.

The above steps can assist in reducing mail theft.

Student Tests Positive for TB

Sara James News Editor

A Douglas College student attending classes at the New Westminster and Coquitlam campuses has been diag- nosed with infectious tuberculosis (TB). The student also worked at a Coquitlam restaurant. Classmates and co-workers of the student will be test- ed for the disease.

Students who have been exposed to the patient have been notified and skin-testing clinics have been estab- lished at both campuses for the week of June 30—July 4, 2003. According to Medical Health Officer Dr. Nadine Loewen,“There is no health threat posed to the general population of students and staff at Douglas College, or customers of the restaurant, by this case of tuberculosis.” The testing of classmates and co-workers is a cau- tionary measure.

Dr. Loewen stated that casual con- tact with the affected student is not considered significant and does not require skin testing.

Skin testing takes place in two

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stages. The first requires an injection of a small, harmless amount of test substance under the top layer of skin on the forearm. This can result in a reaction, with the area around the injection site becoming raised. The second step, two-to-three days later, is a measurement of the reaction. The degree of the reaction determines if additional testing, chest x-ray, or spu- tum smear is required.

Tuberculosis is an airborne disease. Transmission of the illness occurs when an infected person coughs, sneezes, talks, or spits, causing TB germs to be thrust into the air. It only takes a few germs to cause infection; odds of getting sick increase with a weakened immune system. Not all infected people become sick; the dis- ease can lie dormant for years.

Those who test positive must receive treatment, which is provided free of charge. Treatment involves the daily consumption of a variety pills for six-to-nine months. Anti-TB med-

e http://otherpress.douglas.bc.ca

ication must be taken for the pre- scribed length of time; otherwise, the patient can become resistant to the drugs and end up sicker at a later date. The patient can also infect other peo- ple. Patients are observed and re-test- ed during, and at the end of, the treat- ment. Chemotherapy is used to treat drug-resistant TB.

The most common type of TB is “mycobacterium tuberculosis.” Tuberculosis bacteria can cause dis- ease in several areas of the body; the majority of those infected have the disease in their lungs. It is this type that is most infectious. Symptoms of TB can become gradually evident; chest pain, fever, and a lingering cough lasting more than three weeks, loss of appetite and/or weight, night chills or sweats. Anyone with these symptoms should immediately con- tact their doctor.

According to a WHO (World Health Organization) Fact Sheet, tuberculosis “kills approximately two

million people each year.” Increased incidents of TB are partly due to strains that have become resistant to major anti-T'B drugs. The significant rise in cases prompted the WHO, in 1993, to declare TB a global emer- gency. Current world infection rate is 1% (approximately eight million peo- ple) with only 5 -10% of infected peo- ple become sick or infectious. The average rate number of infections from one person is 10 -15 people. The WHO publishes a yearly Global Tuberculosis Control Report, detailing the most recent data and strategies. The 2003 report lists the following countries, in order of rank, as those with the highest rate of infec-

tion: India, China, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Pakistan, South Africa, Philippines, Russian

Federation, and Ethiopia. The WHO is working with coun- tries throughout the world to elimi-

nate TB.