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Cowichan Valley shoppers should be wary of good deals off the back of a truck

Man approached by two people in parking lots
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With the Christmas shopping season about to get into full swing, Harvey Steeves and police are warning shoppers to be wary of what would appear to be a good deal.

Steeves said he was parked in front of the Shopper’s Drug Mart in Duncan earlier this week when he was approached by two men in a fairly new half-ton Chevrolet pick up.

He said the men, who were clean shaven and well dressed, began some small talk with him before they said they were delivering several large-screen televisions in the area and had one left over.

They asked him if he wanted it, but he declined before any price was discussed.

Steeves said that during the summer, he thinks the same men approached him in front of Duncan’s Home Depot location, gave him the same story but the item that time was a door.

“I really should have taken their licence plate number,” he said. “I have reported these incidents to the police.”

RCMP Cpl. Tammy Douglas said the North Cowichan/Duncan RCMP detachment is aware of the incidents and have dealt with these same two men before.

She said the merchandise they are trying to sell is not stolen, but very low quality and the men use a very high pressure sales pitch to try to move their items.

“In general, there is a saying ‘if it seems too good to be true, it probably is’,” Douglas said.

“It is good that this person was wary. Should a person buy something that turns out to be stolen property, the property can be seized by police. Definitely not such a good deal after all. Anytime the public notes something suspicious, they are encouraged to contact the police with any information they may have such as licence plate number, description of vehicle, description of people and what is happening.”