A 74-year-old Winkler woman was recently the victim of a scam that cost her nearly $5,000.

Winkler Police report the woman received a phone call on April 13 from an individual posing as her son-in-law. The con artist claimed he was in a car accident and wouldn't be charged if he paid for the damages.

The fraudster also said the woman would receive a call from his attornery. The victim soon received a call from another individual posing as an attornery who provided a CIBC account number, and said her son-in-law would go free if she paid the imaginary $4,951 charge.

After making the payment she called her son-in-law the next day, only to learn he hadn't been in an accident.

Police say the woman notified her bank of the scam and the bank is continuing the investigation.

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Below is the Winkler Police Report from April 9-22:

April 9 – An employee of Walmart reported that a male and female left the store without paying for several food items they had concealed under their clothing. The male and female were located at 7-Eleven where police discovered several more items stolen from 7-Eleven and Co-op in their possession. The 16 year old female was arrested for Theft Under $5000 (x3) and released on a Promise to Appear. The 19 year old male was arrested for Theft Under $5000 (x3) and Fail to Comply with a Probation Order and released on a Promise to Appear.

Police received a complaint of a male who was throwing ice chunks at the complainant’s vehicle and his girlfriend’s vehicle while they were driving on Main Street. Police attended and spoke with the suspect who initially denied the allegations but eventually admitted to throwing the ice chunks and apologized for his actions. Police also advised the male to affix a front licence plate to his vehicle within a set period of time.

April 11 – Police were advised of a domestic assault that took place inside a residence on 3rd Street South. Police attended the residence and spoke with the victim who stated that her husband assaulted her and left the scene. Police later located and arrested the 53 year old male for Assault, and he was released on a Promise to Appear with conditions.

April 12 – Several complaints were received from residents of Willow Drive, Cedar Avenue and Scotia Drive of footprints in the snow leading to vehicles parked on their driveways. It is suspected that the culprit was checking vehicle doors to see if they were unlocked. No thefts regarding these incidents have been reported.

An employee of Walmart reported that on April 11th a male and female stole several tablets from the store. This file is still under investigation.

April 13 – Police received a noise complaint from a resident of Park Street who stated that loud music was playing at her neighbor’s residence for over one hour. Police attended and could hear the loud music however no one was home at the residence. A short while later the homeowner returned and police advised him to turn down the music and he agreed to do so.

Police were dispatched to Pizza Hut regarding a customer who became upset after staff got his order wrong and proceeded to throw a slice of pizza at a staff member. The complainant declined to lay charges in this matter.

A complaint was received from a female who advised that she lent her hoodie to her friend however the friend refused to return it. Police attended and spoke to the female who initially stated that she did not have possession of the hoodie, but after a search of her room the hoodie was located in a laundry basket. The complainant was satisfied to have her hoodie returned and police cleared the scene.

Police received a complaint of historic assaults from a female who stated that her husband assaulted her multiple times over the last several years, many of which occurred while she was pregnant. The complainant also stated she believes she lost her unborn baby due to the assaults. Police arrested the 31 year old male for Assault (x7) and Forcible Confinement. He was released on a Promise to Appear with conditions.

April 14 – Shortly before 4:00 a.m. police were dispatched to Tim Horton’s regarding an intoxicated male who was sleeping inside the restaurant. Police attended and found the male to be heavily intoxicated and required assistance walking out of the building. The male was arrested under the Intoxicated Persons Detention Act and lodged until sober. The male was released with a ticket for Trespass on Private Property as he recently received a banishment notice from the restaurant due to his frequent visits while intoxicated.

Police arrested a 23 year old male on an outstanding warrant for failing to attend court regarding an armed robbery at Esso on 1st Street in 2016. The male was also arrested for Possess Marihuana, Possess Prohibited Weapon and Breach Recognizance (x5) and was remanded into custody, appearing in Provincial Court on April 23rd, 2018.

A complaint of fraud was received from a male who advised police that someone had booked flights using his credit card totaling $3,800. Police advised the male to report the fraudulent transaction to his credit card company and to have the credit card cancelled.

Police were dispatched to the Winkler Centennial Library parking lot regarding a group on females drinking liquor inside a vehicle. As police were speaking with the occupants several cans of liquor were observed inside the vehicle. All liquor was seized, disposed of and the 18 year old driver was issued a ticket for Carry Liquor in a Vehicle.

April 16 – A complaint was received of a vehicle that struck a planter located on the median of Main Street and drove away from the scene. Police contacted the driver who attended the Winkler Police Service and learned she had reached back to get her ice cream and when she looked up realized she was on the median. The 18 year old driver was issued a ticket for Fail to Give Required Information.

A resident of Peters Avenue reported that a man in a black vehicle had taken pictures of his house and yard three times over the course of several days. When the complainant approached the male he quickly entered his vehicle and drove away.

April 18 – Police were dispatched to Ardene regarding a female shoplifter who attempted to leave the store without paying for approximately $95 worth of items. Store staff confronted the female before she exited the store and were able take hold of the bag containing the stolen items. The female suspect ran from the store however her identification was found inside the bag. Police learned the female was on a Probation Order to not attend the Southland Mall and an arrest warrant was issued.

A resident of Albert Street reported an attempted Break & Enter into the attached garage of the home. The complainant stated she heard voices in the backyard and then heard someone attempting to force the door open. Police attended and did not find any evidence of an attempted Break & Enter. Police also patrolled the area but did not observe anything suspicious.

April 19 – Police received a report from a male who stated that he received a message via Facebook advising him that his phone had been hacked and inappropriate pictures of himself would be posted on Facebook if he didn’t pay $800 to the suspect. The victim was advised it was unlikely that his phone was compromised however as a precaution he should delete his social media accounts.

April 20 – A complaint was received of a male driving a crotch rocket down Alder Street at a high rate of speed. Police attended the male’s residence and advised him to slow down and the male agreed to watch his speed.

April 21 – Police were dispatched to a residence on 7th Street South to assist with removing an unwanted male from the home. While on scene police learned that the male was breaching his conditions and was subsequently arrested for Breach of Recognizance (x2). The 25 year old male was remanded into custody to appear in Provincial Court on April 23rd, 2018.

Police received a report of assault that occurred outside a residence on Main Street South involving a female and two males who assaulted the female’s ex-common-law husband. The female and two males fled the property but the 21 year old female, a resident of Grunthal, was later located in another jurisdiction and arrested for Assault. She was remanded into custody to appear in Provincial Court on April 23rd, 2018.

Regional Support Tactical Team members along with police executed a drug-related search warrant for a residence on Main Street South resulting in the seizure of an amount of marihuana and shatter. A 17 year old male was arrested for Possession of Marihuana and released on an Appearance Notice. This investigation is ongoing.

April 22 – Police were dispatched to a residence on 4th Street South regarding a possible domestic dispute in progress. Police arrived on scene and spoke with a male inside the residence who stated that he and his girlfriend were verbally arguing and no assault had taken place. Police spoke with the female who confirmed that no assault had taken place. Police learned that the male was not to be in contact with the female and arrested him for Fail to Comply with Recognizance. The 25 year old male was released on a Promise to Appear with conditions.