Dozens of Monterey campers recently discovered to their dismay that their golf carts were stolen right in front of their eyes by a charlatan who was supposed to be storing them for the winter.
Also, we paid to loot. A gang that we were,” Claudia Vaillancourt angrily abandons.
The 64-year-old was angry with herself for being so easily duped at the end of the camping season at Domaine Internationale de Rouville last fall.
Along with dozens of campers there, he left his golf cart, worth about $10,000, in a stranger’s trailer.
The man who allegedly masterminded the multi-hundred dollar heist introduced himself to them as Eric Labrecque.
He posted his services on Facebook and allegedly tricked campers into thinking he was going to store their cart for the winter for about $200.
“There are at least fifty people [de campeurs] People who did business with him [à Rouville seulement]”, believes M.me Vaillancourt.
is gone
According to the evidence collected, many of them even offered surpluses in exchange for certain maintenance services.
“He asked us for the charger and the keys, to get the cart back to us in the spring,” the sexagenarian says of someone who seems to have disappeared.
Today, a phone number to reach Labreque is no longer active, and his Facebook page has disappeared. Like carts.
Because when the victims contacted the manager of the warehouse that Charlton said stored their golf carts in Saint-Ameb, that wasn’t the case. No carriage storage will be done there this winter. The manager had never heard of this deal.
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Doubts
Additionally, campers have already seen their items on various online resale sites.
“I recognized her right away. But what do you want me to do?” A second camper who wants to hide his identity is surprised.
The latter believes his car was sent as far as Beause in Sautier-Appalachian, and that others may have been scattered across the province.
“I was skeptical from the beginning. I’m not the only one. We took the picture for a reason. He asked a lot of questions about the card. Year, for example,” he says.
Courtesy image
Here we see a masked man arriving at the trailer to get carts, already photographed by a suspicious customer.
Especially at the Lac-des-Pins campsite in Saint-Antoine-Abbé, near the US border, others would mistakenly believe a thief.
The Richelieu-Saint-Laurent Intermunicipal Police Board and the Sûreté du Québec of MRC Haut-Saint-Laurent confirm that investigations are underway.
“It’s a growing file. Many complainants tell us that their cards have been stolen. It may be good that there are others,” says Jean-Luc Tremblay, a spokesman for Reg.
A memory
In addition to the monetary value of the carts, some cheated campers say they suffer the loss of property that sometimes has great emotional value.
“It’s very emotional. It’s not the money I want, it’s the card. It’s my girlfriend’s card. She walks with it all the time. She’s sick,” breathes Carol Bowin.
The 64-year-old Granby resident lost his wife to lung cancer a year ago at age 65.
Photo courtesy of Carol Bowie
One of the victims, Carol Bowin, and his now-deceased wife, in the souvenir cart he stole.
The carriage was one of the memories he kept of his late better half.
“She was worth $12,000. We paid $200 to store it. In the end, it was a scam,” laments Mr. Boivin.
Desolation
While some victims may recover an amount from their insurance, others may not have this opportunity.
“I’m angry and sad because I know not everyone can afford a new one. [voiturette]He added another victim on condition of anonymity.
For its part, Domaine Internationale de Rouville says it regrets that its seasonal workers fell victim to this theft. He notes that he does not refer the individual to his campers.
