A man allegedly impersonating an official from Interior Health escorted an elderly Princeton woman from her home on March 26 and took her for a drive.

According to RCMP Sergeant Rob Hughes the incident may have been an attempt at a scam.

鈥淗e called ahead of time,鈥� said Hughes. 鈥淗e said he wanted to evaluate her after a recent injury, so he knew she鈥檇 had an injury.鈥�

While the caller made an appointment for 2 p.m., he showed up 30 minutes early, wearing a face mask and gloves, carrying hand sanitizer, and produced what appeared to be an Interior Health identification card.

The call was made from an unknown number, and the man was not from Interior Health, said Hughes.

鈥淭he man told her he wanted to make sure she would know how to get home if she went out.鈥�

Hughes stated, the two left the woman鈥檚 residence in her car, and she was directed to drive to an industrial property and demonstrate how to parallel park.

They returned to the woman鈥檚 house and the man walked away.

Hughes said the suspect might have assumed the woman suffered from a cognitive dysfunction that would make her an easy target for theft or fraud, but aborted further criminal plans when he realized that was not the case.

The 83-year-old woman was not physically harmed.

The suspect is described as approximately 6 feet tall, between 30 and 40 years old, with brown hair. He was wearing a grey suit.

Hughes said anyone receiving a similar call should press *57 immediately after hanging up, as that may produce a phone number police can trace.

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andrea.demeer@similkameenspotlight.com
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