On August 13th, the Saanich Police were contacted by a resident in the 1000 block of Nicholson street who had some concerns about their home cleaner.
A few days before the victim had placed a Walmart gift card on the counter in the residence and when arriving home later in the evening it was gone. Through the day, the only person in the home was the home cleaner.
The victim obtained the receipt for the gift card and with the assistance of Walmart was able to track the usage. As the victim suspected, the card had been emptied at the Walmart, the same day it went missing. Security for Walmart then confirmed that video of the transaction had been obtained.
The investigating officer obtained the video and confirmed with the victims that the person on video conducting the transaction was their home cleaner. Charged is Rita VISSER, a 47 year old Saanich resident, a self-employed home cleaner.
In this particular case, the cleaner had been hired from Used Victoria. Remember, you are hiring someone to come into your home. Here are some suggestions to avoid becoming a victim:
• Hire a cleaner from a bonded and insured, reputable company
• Rely on personal references from friends and family, not from the employee
• Consider asking for a criminal record check
• Do your research- Google, various public databases etc.
If you have questions about how to avoid being a victim in a situation like this, please contact the Saanich Police Crime Prevention office at 250-475-4321.
12-16475