From Whistler to Facebook Marketplace: RCMP crack alleged resort rental theft scam

Jason Proctor · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 06, 2025 8:00 AM EST | Last Updated: 11 hours ago

In precocious 2024, a bid of supposed skiers booked equipment from Whistler rental stores.

The skis and poles were ne'er returned. The renters' names were allegedly aliases. And the recognition cards utilized to secure the bookings turned retired to beryllium fraudulent.

According to tribunal documents obtained by CBC News, the stolen instrumentality aboriginal surfaced connected a Facebook Marketplace relationship linked to a Burnaby man, who constabulary assertion hired couriers done societal media to question to Whistler and pick up the rentals that helium past sold online. 

'The nonstop aforesaid information'

Burnaby RCMP declined to comment connected the case, which is inactive nether investigation.

CBC is not naming the suspect, due to the fact that nary transgression charges person been filed against him. His name is contained successful a warrant to hunt a retention locker successful a condo gathering adjacent Metrotown, wherever constabulary assertion helium met undercover officers to swap stolen skis and boots for cash.

In a document sworn to get the hunt warrant — filed successful Vancouver provincial court — RCMP accidental they judge the fishy is liable for the theft of thousands of dollars worthy of cutting borderline skis gear. 

The documents item an probe that was sparked when unit astatine Whistler Blackcomb Rentals made complaints successful December astir idiosyncratic failing to instrumentality equipment. 

A nonaccomplishment prevention manager alerted constabulary to the information that the serial numbers connected immoderate of the stolen items could beryllium seen successful ads for skis instrumentality linked to 1 Facebook Marketplace profile. On others, the serial numbers could not beryllium seen arsenic the items were placed against a wall.

The rentals allegedly followed a acquainted pattern. 

"All the suspected fraudulent rental forms would person the nonstop aforesaid accusation for the following: i. Age; ii. Height; iii. Weight; iv. Skier type; v. Shoe size; and vi. Suggested length," the warrant says.

'Pick retired the champion skis'

Using those specifications, Whistler RCMP were capable to emblem a fig of suspicious rentals implicit the people of 3 days, and intercept 3 radical who claimed they had been hired to enactment arsenic couriers.

One of the men told constabulary he "answered an advertisement connected societal media that offered a interest and state wealth to spell to Whistler and prime up skis and bring them backmost to Burnaby."

"[He] has not met the poster of the advertisement and lone spoke implicit an exertion called 'Wechat,'" the warrant reads.

Another fishy claimed "he took a occupation from a Chinese societal media tract that required him to prime up 5 sets of skis from 5 antithetic locations successful Whistler."

The man said helium was told "to person the skis unit that helium is the sanction connected the rental statement and to prime retired the champion skis."

The hunt warrant claims the names the couriers provided for the antheral who hired them were aliases — arsenic was the sanction connected the Facebook relationship wherever the goods were aboriginal connected offer. But 1 of the men allegedly showed RCMP an e-transfer from the suspect.

An undercover sting

A week aft arresting and releasing the couriers, an undercover RCMP serviceman messaged the fishy Facebook relationship to purchase Stormrider skis and Salomon boots that constabulary had been capable to nexus to the Whistler thefts done serial numbers.

A antheral who introduced himself arsenic "Adam" — different alias according the warrant — met the serviceman successful the lobby of an flat building, wherever helium exchanged the skis for $1,100, paid for in $100, $50 and $20 dollar bills.

The warrant claims the aforesaid fishy was besides the taxable of a Richmond RCMP probe past April into an attempted fraud astatine YVR World Duty Free, wherever idiosyncratic tried to prime up an online bid for a "liquor vessel worthy $50,000."

In an echo of the Whistler allegations, the Burnaby man claimed helium "was told helium would beryllium paid $500 for picking up and dropping disconnected the bottle" to the poster of an online job.

"I judge [the suspect] was made alert of this fraud strategy successful April and has since removed himself from being the idiosyncratic straight picking up the products to present utilizing [an alias] to instruct others," the serviceman who applied for the Whistler warrant wrote.

According to the hunt warrant, constabulary believed they would find the skis and boots successful the suspect's retention locker and were hoping to find fraudulent recognition cards utilized to marque the bookings astatine his home, arsenic good arsenic the currency paid successful the undercover sting.

The proprietor of the Facebook Marketplace relationship allegedly utilized to hawk the stolen cogwheel responded to an email from CBC News with a connection saying: "That's my privacy. I don't anticipation it to beryllium report[ed]. Stop your communicative moving immediately."

In a statement, a spokesperson for Whistler Blackcomb said the edifice would not remark connected the lawsuit "due to ineligible sensitivities."

"Ensuring a harmless and affirmative acquisition for our guests astatine Whistler Blackcomb is ever a apical priority," the connection said, noting anti-theft measures including "200 cameras astatine the edifice utilized for nationalist information and enactment tracking astir plazas, lifts and connected mountain."

None of the allegations person been proven successful court. RCMP accidental the probe is inactive ongoing.