I’ve been in this newspaper business about 29 years now; some things stick with you over that span of time. It seems to me fraud continues to spread, including rural areas.
Over almost three decades I’ve hung my hat in lots of different places, including two years in Calgary for college and a year and a half in Edmonton area as a newspaper receptionist (my business card said “editor” but all I did was answer the phone). But I grew up in a rural area (Oyen, in the Special Areas) and rural is the place to be; you can’t beat the people. In my opinion rural people are strong, fast and good-lookin.’
That’s why throughout my career I’ve been dismayed to see con artists and fraudsters pick on rural folks. I’m not sure why but it may have something to do with the fact we’re nice people. It might have something to do with that. Sadly, I feel we all need to start being more skeptical and focus more on our local area instead of hoping for the deal of the century elsewhere.
Last week I got an email from RCMP K Division about a fraudster who recently stole $60,000 (!) from a group of 16 people in the Three Hills area (about an hour west of Stettler). From the police: “The 16 victims sent DBL Meats (B.C.) approximately $60,000 CAD through e-transfer for meat products that were not delivered as promised. Investigation has determined DBL Meats is not a legitimate company and had fraudulently obtained money from the victims.”
I understand with the price of groceries and especially meat nowadays anybody raising a family might seriously look at buying a quarter or half of beef to save money in the long run.
Now, I’m not much of a mathematician, but let’s say for argument’s sake the victims were buying bulk beef at about $10 per pound (I’m told bulk beef sells for $6 to $14 a pound, so $10 sounds fair). For the total stolen, that’s 6,000 pounds or three imperial tons of beef. The total adds up to roughly $3,700 per victim, divided equally.
Doing a little research in just a few minutes I found outfits near Coronation and Edmonton that provide a wide range of bulk meat products and their prices, judging by what’s quoted on their websites, are easily within that $3,700 price tag that seemed so attractive one province away.
I’m told there are other options available as well, including buying a cow yourself at the local auction market and arranging for delivery to a local butcher or contacting some local farms yourself; ask around, some of your friends or co-workers may know a reputable producer. Sometimes you can be pleasantly surprised at how amicable people can be.
A local Stettler grocery expert advised me that shoppers should always check credentials, i.e. if buying from a farmer, check the farm yourself if you have concerns. Ask the producer where the meat was sourced from and do some homework on the source. Anyone who claims they represent a company can have that claim checked pretty easily (phone the company). The expert also advised investigating a supplier’s online footprint if possible, looking for reviews and the length of time they’ve been in business.
In my opinion the victims could have done just as well frequenting local producers and spending their money in the local economy. Even buying from an Edmonton-area producer still keeps the money in Alberta at the very least (even though the money went to city folk).
Even if it turns out you paid a bit more, you’ve supported a local producer and, in the event there is a problem, it’s much easier to straighten things out locally than chase somebody in the next province.
You never know… that producer in the next province you sent your hard-earned money to might turn out to be a con artist.
Stu Salkeld is a multimedia journalist for the ECA Review newspaper who remembers crime and traffic in the city and doesn’t miss them one bit.
Stu Salkeld
Local Journalism Initiative reporter
ECA Review
