Materials used to collect donations on behalf of a well-known charity have gone missing and a fraud artist could be using them to dupe unsuspecting people into donating their money to the wrong cause.
The items - collection boxes, donation forms and pledge sheets for CIBC Run for the Cure - were stolen from a trailer parked over Wednesday night outside the Signature Sandman, Prince George RCMP confirmed.
The trailer was also holding an all-terrain vehicle that has since been delivered to Northern Acreage Supply Ltd. and will be the draw prize for those who make a donation while at the business, located at 4870 Continental Way in the BCR industrial site.
The vehicle has been decked out in pink to promote the Run for the Cure, said Northern Acreage president Alan Goode, whose first step was to call police and then local media to alert the public when he learned the items had been stolen.
"We just don't want people to put the money where it really doesn't belong," Goode said.
Local Run for the Cure spokeswoman Renee McCloskey said those leery of donating to a canvasser can also contribute to the cause by going to the Canadian Breast Cancer foundation website.
Those who are approached by someone purporting to be a Run for the Cure canvasser but seems suspicious is asked to contact Prince George RCMP, Cpl. Craig Douglass said.
The Run for the Cure is set for Oct. 6 at the Civic Centre, starting at 9:30 a.m.
