Montreal police are asking the public for help in locating a fraudster whose defrauding retail stores across the city.
In a press release issued on Tuesday, the man usually claims to be a salesperson for a large store that sells furniture, electronics or food. He approaches his victims inside or outside the business where he says he works. He tells the victim the store is having a large sale or a flash sale and invites the victim to follow him through the store to check out the discounted items. The suspect greets employees who work in the store as though he knows them.
The suspect asks the victim to pay him in cash after supposedly checking on the available quantities of the items on sale at the back of the store, the police said. The suspect tells the victim to drive their car to the back of the store to pick up the item they think they’ve just purchased. The suspect, however, takes off with the cash.
The suspect asks from $260 to $980 per item. He has defrauded victims of more than $5,000, Montreal police say.
The man, whom the police say has been very active for months, is white, about 35 years old and measures about 5’5″. He has brown hair and brown eyes and a thick beard. He speaks French with a Spanish accent.
Read the full story over at The Montreal Gazette.
