Police appear to be handcuffed in efforts to bring to justice a con artist who's made profitable use of a sob story to extract cash from trusting and caring Prince George residents.
Prince George RCMP are doing what they can in response to several calls about the man but "it's a grey area as to whether he's committing an offence," Cst. Craig Douglass said Tuesday.
"If he asks for money and you give him money, there's no offence there and that's where the difficulty is. The sob story and the tugging on your heartstrings, there is no criminal offence there."
Since running a story in Saturday's newspaper about a teen who was scammed for $40, The Citizen has received e-mails, calls and online comments from several other people who say they've encountered the same man with the same story.
A man in his 40s or 50s tells them his wallet was stolen out of his truck and he needs cash for propane so he can drive home to Quesnel. If it looks like he'll be turned down, he adds he's also run out of medicine or insulin.
It seems to be working to the tune of $20 and even $40 with Good Samaritans sometimes convinced to pull cash out of a nearby bank machine to help out the poor soul.
Douglass said police have a strong idea who the suspect is and added the person in question is likely a drug addict seeking cash for a quick score. When asked about pressing a fraud-related charge, Douglass said it may be difficult given parts of his story add up.
Notably, the man really does own a propane-fuelled truck.
"We are bound by the laws we have to work with," Douglass said. "We are working to see if there is something we can do. There is a possibility of false pretenses, but again, we have to prove that he didn't do what he said he was going to do with it, and that might be difficult."
City Hall may not be of much help either. Bylaw enforcement officer Guy Gusdal said there are no bylaws on the city's books to deal with such people and noted attempts in other municipalities have been limited due to court challenges.
In a notable 2008 court case, a provincial court judge in Prince George sentenced an aggressive panhandler to two weeks in jail and two years probation for uttering threats. Three weeks later, he was arrested in Williams Lake on a similar charge and was banned from the town for two years.
Douglass encourages those who encounter the man to contact the RCMP immediately and keep an eye on him until police can show up. Also, don't give him any money. Buying food is a better alternative for someone down and out, he said.
"To some degree the public need to be aware that if they give away their money there may not be an offence. It's their personal choice to do that."
