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Fraudster group nabbed in Kelowna

The group fraudulently purchased nearly $20,000 in merchandise from local liquor, clothing, electronics and specialty stores
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Three men and two women, all from Montreal Quebec, each face countless potential criminal charges after fraudulently purchasing thousands upon thousands of dollars in merchandise and services from local businesses.

According to GIS investigators, the group of five travelling criminals from Quebec arrived in the Kelowna area near the end of October. Investigators believe that the group stayed for a matter of only a few days before they left, possibly to the Lower Mainland, only to return to the Central Okanagan city on Nov. 10.

While in Kelowna, police allege that the group fraudulently purchased nearly $20,000 in merchandise from local liquor, clothing, electronics and specialty stores as well as other services such as hotels and rental car agencies.

On Tuesday night, it was great police work by our general duty investigators who linked several open fraud investigations to the group and tracked them down to a pair of rooms at a local motel, said Const. Ewan Dewolf of the Kelowna RCMP GIS Economic Crime Unit, in a press release.

RCMP coordinated the safe arrest of all five suspects, one of which was stopped in a rental vehicle observed leaving the motel parking lot.

Search warrants were obtained and police have seized a significant amount of suspected stolen property from the hotel rooms and their rental vehicle, said Cpl. Jesse O’Donaghey spokesman of the Kelowna RCMP.

The three men 22, 22 and 21 years old, along with the two women 18 and 20 years old, remain in police custody, as investigators with the Kelowna RCMP GIS Economic Crime Unit continue to gather and analyze evidence collected against the group.

Anyone with any additional information is asked to contact the Kelowna RCMP GIS Economic Crime Unit at 250-762-3300. Remain anonymous by calling Crime Stoppers at

1-800-222-8477, leaving a tip online at www.crimestoppers.net or by texting your tip to CRIMES (274637) ktown.