Rhondi Moerike’s father was just trying to help someone in need. In the end, he ended up a victim of theft. 

Recently, a young lady knocked on the door at his house on Home Street on South Hill and gave a story that she was down on her luck, she needed gas for her vehicle and asked if she could use the washroom. 

He kept somewhat of an eye out on her, while also trying to keep a bit of a distance to give her privacy. 

After that, they went to the garage as he said he would give her a jerrycan of gas as long as she returned the jerrycan. 

The two went their separate ways and Moerike’s father returned to his house. Later that evening, he noticed that a light was on in a backroom that he never uses.  

“My dad has late supper, so it was around 7-8 o'clock at night. There was still enough light outside so that he didn't notice the light in the backroom until it had gotten dark,” Moerike said. 

He went into the room and found it had been rummaged through and coffee tins with change in them were gone. On the kitchen table, he found that items were missing, so he went into the kitchen where he kept his wallet and cell phone. 

What he found was that his cell phone was gone and his wallet was emptied including his IDs and credit cards. 

While her father initially thought it may have been the young lady took the items, Moerike thinks it was the work of more than one person. 

“Someone doesn’t take that long in the bathroom and his house is not that small, so he would notice her rummaging if it was just her, so I'm suspecting it was probably two people,” she said.  

“When she finished going to the bathroom that’s when they went to the garage. I'm thinking a second person came in the five minutes it took to grab gas.” 

Moerike said she learned of the incident when she called her dad on the landline and he said he couldn’t talk long. She called back later and found out he couldn’t talk because he was talking to the police. 

She said it's unfortunate because her father, who is usually pretty good about spotting scams, was just trying to be nice. 

“Being a nice old guy and just helping a woman in distress, my dad's a big teddy bear, that’s a prime target, unfortunately,” she said. 

Moerike is now sharing the story in order to protect others from running into the same type of scheme. 

“I can't imagine a single mom going through this and having her kid being in the house and some guy comes into the house. That would be traumatizing for a child. That's kind of why I want the story out there,” she said. 

Anyone with information about this or any other scams should contact the Moose Jaw Police Service.