“A lady wrote a letter to our police department asking us to be aware of a sweepstakes scam. A fellow named John Marshall and a woman Ruth Stevens – most likely not their real names – told her she had been entered into a sweepstakes seven times and had won a Cadillac and $200,000,� explained Station 12 officer Adalbert Pimentel.

“They said she had to pay a $2,820.29 government tax bill for it to be transferred to her. They claimed it as an administration fee and asked her to send it via Western Union.

“They also said that instead of getting the Cadillac, they could send her the cash value of the car instead for an administrative fee of $1,400 on top of that.�

The lady – whose name police wished to keep anonymous, went about sending in the money to receive her prizes. As she was particularly excited, she followed instructions to post the money immediately upon receiving the information. In fact, she was given a noon deadline to act.

“She sent the money by noon that day as per their conditions and waited for them to contact them. Finally, after her bank account was emptied, she went to her local police and they said they couldn’t do much,� Pimentel said.

“They love senior citizens. They have phones ringing in the background and have a manager come on and vouch for the company. Scams like this seem quite legitimate when they’re done well.�

While Westmount police are collaborating with the woman’s local police station to investigate, it looks as if she’ll be forced to absorb the loss.

She said her bank account is now empty and she may lose her house as a result.

“We are investigating. We went to the address and discovered it doesn’t even exist. She has just lost her money,� the officer said.

Pimentel explained that scammers typically go after seniors.

“This is typical of what happens to senior citizens via telemarketing. They’re not up to date with the latest technologies and scams and they are often victimized,� he said.

“This happens a lot; it’s an active crime. They are often afraid of being mugged on the street, but they need to be more careful about things like this.�

He gave a few tips on how seniors can avoid being caught in a scam such as this.

“They should take their time and make sure to give due consideration before acting. They should get a call-back number and verify it by doing some research to make sure it’s a legitimate company.�



PSOs help lost woman



Westmount's Public Security unit recently responded to a call on Victoria Avenue, where an elderly woman was lost on the street and a local resident called it in.

“If we can help, we always will. If it had been someone who was missing or we couldn’t help them in any way, we would have brought her to the police because they have the information on missing people,� said Public Security Director Richard Blondin.

“She knew where she wanted to go, so we made sure it was OK and brought her there.

“In this case, we received a call – probably from a Victoria resident, and we responded within a couple of minutes. In cases like this or any other, we do our best to get there as fast as possible and we are pretty much always at the location within two or three minutes of a call.�



Noise, noise go away



In a city constantly under renovation, construction workers should be sure they’re following local law.

“There was some construction being done near the intersection of Claremont and de Maisonneuve at night recently, and one of our officers noticed a cement truck and some work being done,� Blondin said.

“In this city, you cannot make use heavy equipment after 6 p.m., so we gave them a ticket for $141 in accordance with the bylaw.�

This problem, Blondin said, occurs rarely.

“We don’t receive a lot of noise calls in regard to heavy equipment, but there are general noise complaints more often. When it comes to work like this, it’s sometimes because they start a little early or end a little late, but we stop them when there’s a complaint.�

As for your garden variety noise complaints, those come a little more often.

“We get general noise complaints as well and the policy is to advise them that they’re not allowed to make a lot of noise. There’s no specific hour for this law, it is important just not to disturb your neighbours,� Blondin explained.

“It’s an urban legend that you’re not allowed to make noise only after 11 a.m. It’s also an urban legend about being allowed to have three parties a year with as much noise as you want.

“You must be respectful of your neighbours.�



Christmas baskets



Westmount Public Security’s Christmas basket program is in full swing.

“We are running a campaign for food baskets. We do it every year and people can bring non-perishables for our Christmas baskets. Unlike what people may think, not everyone is Westmount is rich, and we need to look out for everyone,� Blondin said.

Residents wishing to contribute non-perishable food items can find receptacles at City Hall, Westmount Public Security, Victoria Hall, the Westmount library and the Greene Centre.

For addresses and information, call 514-989-5222 or visit www.westmount.org.">www.westmount.org.">www.westmount.org.