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Canadian police warn motorists to look out for suspected cycling fraudster

Same cyclist linked to 12 incidents in 18 months involving collisions with cars and demands for money

Police in a city in Canada have issued a warning to motorists to look out for a cycling fraudster who they believe is faking collisions with their vehicles and demanding money from them.

Officers in Abbotsford, British Columbia, whose metropolitan area is home to around 170,000 people, say that they have attended three separate incidents apparently involving the same cyclist who claims he was struck by a car.

"But the drivers dispute it, and one actually claims the individual laid his bike in front of the car," said Constable Ian MacDonald of the Abbotsford Police Department.

It’s unclear whether the suspect, who has not been named, was present at the time the police attended those incidents.

According to the Abbostford Times, what the incidents have in common is that the motorists involved appear to be older women, and the cyclist demands cash to avoid a claim having to be made through the compulsory, government run Insurance Corporation of British Columbia (ICBC) scheme.

The newspaper reports that besides the three incidents that the police have attended, the same individual, who has not been named, currently has nine separate outstanding claims with ICBC, each involving him having been struck by a vehicle while cycling.

The 12 incidents have taken place during an 18-month period, according to Constable MacDonald, the last as recently as 3 April.

"From a mathematical standpoint it's impossible [that the claims are legitimate]," insisted the officer.

"What's concerning is the actual number of incidents could be many more than what is documented," he added.

The fact there is a suspected fraudster allegedly using his bike to cheat motorists out of their money does of course have safety implications for other bike riders, not least the prospect that a driver may not stop at the scene of a incident.

However, police say that drivers involved in what seems to be a collision with a cyclist should call them.

"If a person on a bike is alleging they've been struck, they need to be checked out by an ambulance," advised Constable MacDonald.

"This guy's prepared to leave the area with cash in hand and is not thrilled when the suggestion of calling police is raised."
He added that any such incidents should also be reported immediately to the ICBC to prevent fraudulent follow-up claims from being made.

Police described the suspected fraudster as being a Caucasian male with a full beard, 5 foot 11 inches tall and 220 pounds in weight.

 

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

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6 comments

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stewieatb | 11 years ago
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Welp, there goes his beard.

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Paulo replied to stewieatb | 11 years ago
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stewieatb wrote:

Welp, there goes his beard.

Now looking for a man who recently shaved his beard off  3

Avatar
wild man | 11 years ago
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Caucasian male with a full beard- sounds like Uncle Albert from 'Only Fools and Horses' who used to make a living falling down pub cellars for compensation. Shame it's the wrong province to dub him Uncle Alberta.

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step-hent replied to wild man | 11 years ago
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Officer wrote:

From a mathematical standpoint it's impossible [that the claims are legitimate]

Er, no, it isn't. Unlikely, suspicious, but certainly not impossible.

Avatar
Coleman replied to step-hent | 11 years ago
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step-hent wrote:
Officer wrote:

From a mathematical standpoint it's impossible [that the claims are legitimate]

Er, no, it isn't. Unlikely, suspicious, but certainly not impossible.

Blast. You beat me too it.

"Intelligent policing" - an oxymoron? (Only joking, officer.)

Avatar
bikecellar replied to wild man | 11 years ago
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wild man wrote:

Caucasian male with a full beard- sounds like Uncle Albert from 'Only Fools and Horses' who used to make a living falling down pub cellars for compensation. Shame it's the wrong province to dub him Uncle Alberta.

Uncle Albert? 5ft 11ins more like 4ft 11ins  1

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