file photo Mike Wakefield, North Shore News
More envelopes full of money have turned up in public places around Coqutilam and police said they are working to track down the rightful owners.
The latest incident occurred on Nov. 22 at a supermarket at 2929 Barnet Highway, when a large sum of cash was turned in to by a Good Samaritan. Another incident occurred on Nov. 18, while an initial envelope was turned in at Coquitlam Centre on Sept. 21.
"People want to do the right thing," said Cpl. Michael McLaughlin. "The Coquitlam area has a lot honest and moral people who are turning these in."
After talking with witnesses and viewing surveillance camera footage, investigators have determined that in two of the three cases, the owners of the lost money are Asian.
While most Canadians are accustomed to using debit and credit cards when making large transactions, McLaughlin said that is not always the case for people from other countries. He added that police want to assure everyone, particularly those that are new to Canada, that police will respect the privacy of those that come forward to retrieve their money.
"We are making a special effort to reach out to the Asian community," he said. "We are not here to do anything other than make sure the money gets back to its rightful owner."
Earlier this month, the RCMP issued a press release looking for the owner of a cash-filled envelope that was left at Coquitlam Centre.
Since making the announcement McLaughlin said police have received numerous calls from people claiming the money belonged to them.
However, after some initial discussion, "we could easily confirm that those people were not the owners of the cash," he said on Tuesday.
Those that have legitimately lost money should call police and be prepared to detail the amount, denomination and type of currency and any identifying marks on the envelope. They should also be able to provide contact information, a description of themselves and the exact time and place where they noticed the money was missing.
• Anyone with information about the three envelopes of lost money are asked to call the Coquitlam RCMP's non-emergency line at 604-945-1550.
CASH CARRYING TIPS
• Avoid carrying a large sum of cash unless you are using it immediately.
• When you need to carry a large amount of money, ensure it is secured inside a bag or a zippered pocket without any holes.
• Carry smaller amounts of cash in a purse or wallet for your everyday transactions and keep that cash separate from larger sums of money.
-Coquitlam RCMP
