# Scumbags Phoning Valcartier Homes to Announce Deaths of Troops Overseas



## The Bread Guy (23 Nov 2010)

I really, really can't say how pissed off I am at this.....


> Quebec military police are after a prankster preying on families of soldiers deployed to Afghanistan by calling them in the middle of the night to say their loved one has died.
> 
> The relatives of at least three soldiers currently serving in the war-torn country have been targeted by the prank, a spokesman at Canadian Forces Base Valcartier said Tuesday.
> 
> ...



 :rage:

Is it just me, or (at least from media reports) are troop families in/around Valcartier easier to spot/target than elsewhere?  Remember these clowns, for example?  Or is it just the level of opposition to the mission (if one believes the polls) that may be driving this?

Counting to ten....


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## Occam (23 Nov 2010)

I have one bit of advice to those who have loved ones deployed - learn how to activate your local telephone company's "Call Trace" feature.  Some Telcos charge for it, some don't.  It works whether the caller has their number blocked or not.  The way it works is that you dial a code which tells the Telco's system to "mark" the last call made to your telephone, and the police can request these records from the phone company.

How to use it - some nutcase calls you, you recognize it as a prank or harassing call, and you hang up.  You *immediately* call your Telco's Call Trace code - for example, for Bell Canada it's "*57" - don't call another number, or use another calling feature such as Call Return before activating Call Trace.  Then note the time and date of the call, and report it to the police along with the fact that you activated Call Trace on the call.

I'm sure the police would be very enthusiastic about prosecuting any scumbag making calls like the ones reported here.


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## mariomike (23 Nov 2010)

Similar story from the U.K. in 2006
"Army wives get phone death threats from Iraq":
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/iraq/1522277/Army-wives-get-phone-death-threats-from-Iraq.html

Also in the U.S.:
http://www.ng.mil/news/archives/2010/04/042810-Hoax.aspx


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## 57Chevy (24 Nov 2010)

That is just plain sick.
They NEED to get nailed.....and quickly

BTW *69 also does something regarding the last caller.


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## Occam (24 Nov 2010)

57Chevy said:
			
		

> That is just plain sick.
> They NEED to get nailed.....and quickly
> 
> BTW *69 also does something regarding the last caller.



Yup, *69 is Call Return in most Telcos - and is useless if the police need to investigate complaints.  Call Trace is the action to take to catch these idiots.


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## dogger1936 (24 Nov 2010)

Excellent tip. Thanks.


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## larry Strong (24 Nov 2010)

57Chevy said:
			
		

> That is just plain sick.
> They NEED to get nailed.....and quickly
> 
> BTW *69 also does something regarding the last caller.



Unfortunately all they will probably get is a slight slap om the wrist and sent home......


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## VinceW (24 Nov 2010)

Not surprised that the media reports these as "Pranks"
Pranks are harmless and don't cause depression and sleep disorders.


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## OldSolduer (24 Nov 2010)

The "prankster" requires "counselling". Maybe the parents or a a spouse of a fallen soldier should be there to speak with the "Prankster" after his "Counselliing".....nudge nudge wink wink.


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## Navalsnpr (24 Nov 2010)

I hope the Police get this person quickly!!


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## The Bread Guy (24 Nov 2010)

VinceW said:
			
		

> Not surprised that the media reports these as "Pranks"
> Pranks are harmless and don't cause depression and sleep disorders.


Good point - still happening:


> A prankster's calls to military families with news that their loved ones have been killed in Afghanistan are being castigated as "insensitive, amoral and disgusting."
> 
> The Canadian military is investigating.
> 
> ...


_*If*_ the spokesperson is being quoted properly, it might be time to fine tune the messaging a bit from that end?  Then again, I don't know whether the French equivalent of "prank" (assuming French is first language in Valcartier area) is a much stronger term that only weakly translates into the English term.


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## Danjanou (24 Nov 2010)

Larry Strong said:
			
		

> Unfortunately all they will probably get is a slight slap om the wrist and sent home......



More than likely yes. However after beeing caught their names etc are then public  and available for someone to "counsel" them as has been suggested. >

Note: I am not  in any way shape or form advocationg any activity outside of the law here.


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## Jarnhamar (24 Nov 2010)

And where do these assholes get a lot of their information about deployed soldiers?

Facebook.


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## MPwannabe (24 Nov 2010)

That is disgusting. They'll find the people responsible and charge them eventually.


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## The Bread Guy (24 Nov 2010)

Grimaldus said:
			
		

> And where do these assholes get a lot of their information about deployed soldiers?
> 
> Facebook.


Good point, at least with some of the info - in addition to the phone advice offered earlier, let's also keep this in mind
http://forums.milnet.ca/forums/threads/71137/post-678628.html#msg678628


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## xena (24 Nov 2010)

Navalsnipr said:
			
		

> I hope the Police get this person quickly!!



Actually, I kinda hope they get caught by some serving or ex-military personnel first.   > :rage:

But I'm with Danjanou on this:



> Note: I am not  in any way shape or form advocating any activity outside of the law here.


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## jollyjacktar (25 Nov 2010)

Jim Seggie said:
			
		

> The "prankster" requires "counselling". Maybe the parents or a a spouse of a fallen soldier should be there to speak with the "Prankster" after his "Counselliing".....nudge nudge wink wink.



And here I thought you might have suggested some more "vigorous mineral therapy"  >  

It's some anti-warmonger for sure that seems to populate that Province in great herds.  Hope they get caught and hit as hard as the law allows.  Friggin Zombies


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## The Bread Guy (25 Nov 2010)

jollyjacktar said:
			
		

> It's some anti-warmonger for sure that seems to populate that Province in great herds.  Hope they get caught and hit as hard as the law allows.  Friggin Zombies


So far, we don't know that for certain, so I'm not going to go as far as picking a guilty party yet.

That said, if the guilty party does happen to be doing this as an anti-war "action", I will be anxious to hear from anti-war groups/collectives disavow such actions.  Disagree all you want with the fight, but this is NOT a legitimate "protest" tactic.

Edited to add:
Meanwhile, here's what was said on this in the House of Commons yesterday:


> Mr. Steven Blaney (Lévis—Bellechasse, CPC):  Mr. Steven Blaney (Lévis—Bellechasse, CPC):  Mr. Speaker, a number of families in Valcartier with loved ones in Afghanistan have been the victims of a disturbing incident. During the night, heartless pranksters told them that their loved ones had been killed in Afghanistan. Such calls are despicable and, understandably, have caused these families deep dismay and needless worry and anxiety.  Can the Minister of National Defence tell us what he will do about these heartless pranksters and how people who believe that tragic accidents are something to joke about will be dealt with?
> 
> Hon. Peter MacKay (Minister of National Defence, CPC):  Mr. Speaker, these acts are deplorable and completely unacceptable. I am convinced that I speak on behalf of all members of the House when I condemn this despicable behaviour. The Canadian Forces are helping and supporting the families who have received these disturbing calls. It is our hope that the perpetrators of these despicable acts will be brought to justice as quickly as possible.  <English>  Military personnel should never be cruelly alarmed while their loved ones are serving overseas. They make an incredible sacrifice in our country's name. They should never be the targets of such insensitive, immoral, disgusting acts.


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## Pusser (25 Nov 2010)

One thing I find puzzling is that the CF is claiming they've never seen this sort of thing before.  However, I distinctly remember hearing reports of it happening during the first Gulf War and early on in the second.  It's still despicable, but it's not new.


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## 2 Cdo (25 Nov 2010)

Pusser said:
			
		

> One thing I find puzzling is that the CF is claiming they've never seen this sort of thing before.  However, I distinctly remember hearing reports of it happening during the first Gulf War and early on in the second.  It's still despicable, but it's not new.



It's been happening since before I joined in 81, absolutlely nothing new. A disgusting act which probably involves one of our stellar citizens whos idea of free speech exists only for those who agree with them.


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## The Bread Guy (25 Nov 2010)

Pusser said:
			
		

> One thing I find puzzling is that the CF is claiming they've never seen this sort of thing before.  However, I distinctly remember hearing reports of it happening during the first Gulf War and early on in the second.  It's still despicable, but it's not new.


Depends how the question was asked/answered:  the spokesperson could have said, "I can't remember dealing with anything like this before", which is different from saying, "this has never happened before".

For example, one of the quotes, "We are not aware of other similar incidents" _could_ be read as being closer to "we haven't heard of anything similar (lately?)" than "this has never happened before."


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## 57Chevy (25 Nov 2010)

milnews.ca said:
			
		

> Meanwhile, here's what was said on this in the House of Commons yesterday:



They whole CF certainly knows all about it by now.
And I'm sure they will "dig in". :


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## OldSolduer (25 Nov 2010)

jollyjacktar said:
			
		

> And here I thought you might have suggested some more "vigorous mineral therapy"  >
> 
> It's some anti-warmonger for sure that seems to populate that Province in great herds.  Hope they get caught and hit as hard as the law allows.  Friggin Zombies



This is not the time for "mineral therapy". Its time for "understanding" and getting in "touch" with their feelings.....


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## jollyjacktar (26 Nov 2010)

Ah!  I see you are a SNAG.  A sensitive new age guy.


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## OldSolduer (26 Nov 2010)

jollyjacktar said:
			
		

> Ah!  I see you are a SNAG.  A sensitive new age guy.



Of course! this is 2010 isn't it?


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## Jarnhamar (26 Nov 2010)

Eye for an eye.

Someone finds out their names, publishes THEIR names and then let them deal with hundreds (thousands?) of phone calls and facebook/email harassment.

These jerks sing a different song when the THEY are shoved in the spotlight.


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## George Wallace (26 Nov 2010)

Grimaldus said:
			
		

> Eye for an eye.
> 
> Someone finds out their names, publishes THEIR names and then let them deal with hundreds (thousands?) of phone calls and facebook/email harassment.
> 
> These jerks sing a different song when the THEY are shoved in the spotlight.




OH MY GOD!  They would be crying "Harassment" and "Human Rights Violation" right away quick.  They can dish it out, but can't take it.


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## Remius (26 Nov 2010)

My biggest worry is that it may be a serving member doing this.  The first thing that came to my mind (other than outrage) was that whoever is making these calls is convincing enough to fool the victims.  Now without being privy to exactly what was said, the prankster/scumbag must have some knowledge of the victims' loved ones.  Maybe Facebook but I think whoever is behind this is somewhat more informed than we think.


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## The Bread Guy (26 Nov 2010)

Crantor said:
			
		

> My biggest worry is that it may be a serving member doing this.  The first thing that came to my mind (other than outrage) was that whoever is making these calls is convincing enough to fool the victims.  Now without being privy to exactly what was said, the prankster/scumbag must have some knowledge of the victims' loved ones.  Maybe Facebook but I think whoever is behind this is somewhat more informed than we think.


I'm not as concerned about inside info - when you call in the middle of the night, and someone is groggy, it's easy enough to sound official by using a rank.  What scares me is someone knowing the right name of the serving member, and matching it with an NOK phone number.


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## TN2IC (26 Nov 2010)

Eye for an eye... I totally agree. Let's "hang the guilty bastard".


Regards from the box,
TN2IC



			
				Grimaldus said:
			
		

> Eye for an eye.
> Someone finds out their names, publishes THEIR names and then let them deal with hundreds (thousands?) of phone calls and facebook/email harassment.


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## dogger1936 (26 Nov 2010)

Crantor said:
			
		

> My biggest worry is that it may be a serving member doing this.  The first thing that came to my mind (other than outrage) was that whoever is making these calls is convincing enough to fool the victims.  Now without being privy to exactly what was said, the prankster/scumbag must have some knowledge of the victims' loved ones.  Maybe Facebook but I think whoever is behind this is somewhat more informed than we think.



That was my first thought. Some moron in the unit with a beef to pick with that specific soldier.


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## FlyingDutchman (26 Nov 2010)

dogger1936 said:
			
		

> That was my first thought. Some moron in the unit with a beef to pick with that specific soldier.


It has happened to many, what, would it be a whole squad of bullies? Or someone with a beef against all the people in the forces?


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## Jarnhamar (26 Nov 2010)

George Wallace said:
			
		

> OH MY GOD!  They would be crying "Harassment" and "Human Rights Violation" right away quick.  They can dish it out, but can't take it.



The bully and the coward never can.



			
				dogger1936 said:
			
		

> That was my first thought. Some moron in the unit with a beef to pick with that specific soldier.



I really don't think so.
It's some left wing group who are justifying their actions by swallowing the whole Illegal unjust war bla bla imperial oppressors blah war for oil mantra.

If you guys think soldiers are a tough crowd when it comes to policing our own wait until the names of these guys come out and we see what the "average" Canadian thinks of someone doing that to one of their soldiers.


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## dogger1936 (26 Nov 2010)

FlyingDutchman said:
			
		

> It has happened to many, what, would it be a whole squad of bullies? Or someone with a beef against all the people in the forces?



Maybe it's due to my current job.....but I really have seen soldiers who would make you ashamed to even wear the uniform. My throat is sore from yelling so much today actually. Absolute scum.

Innuendo I know however this is what I see it as.

Young ****pump that Mcpl X was giving the gears to (rightfully so) and that pump gets booted off tour. He has the names in a section fanout or at his duty center. Bam he calls and "gets back" at Mcpl x in his sick way.

Again I blame my current job as I see some sick twisted stuff in this military.


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## HavokFour (26 Nov 2010)

The question is gentlemen, how does the caller know the families have loved ones overseas? The police should look for a connection between all the families that have been called, it could be someone they all know.

God forbid, I hope it isn't a serving member doing this.


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## Container (26 Nov 2010)

How big is Val? When I was a young guy growing up around a base and working in a bar we always knew who was leaving or gone. So I wouldnt jump to being concerned about a serving guy yet.....


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## FDO (26 Nov 2010)

Container said:
			
		

> How big is Val? When I was a young guy growing up around a base and working in a bar we always knew who was leaving or gone. So I wouldnt jump to being concerned about a serving guy yet.....



I agree. In a military town it's not hard to figure out who's gone and go to "Canada 411" and get phone numbers. Any 1/2  mind out there can do it. When we left in 91 for the Persian Gulf some of our wives and kids woke up to body bags on the front lawn. Not hard to figure out where a serving member lives just sit on any street corner within a 45 minute drive of any base and you'll see uniforms coming and going. not to mention the yellow ribbons on some houses.

 Personally I think these a**holes need to see how a copy of the yellow pages can actually reach out and touch somebody! Of course in an educational non-violent way!


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## The Bread Guy (24 Dec 2010)

Happening in Australia, too.....


> FAMILIES of Australian soldiers in Afghanistan have been receiving hoax calls that their loved ones have been wounded or killed.  This week a hoax call was received by the family of a Darwin-based First Combat Engineering Regiment soldier who is currently deployed overseas, the NT News reported.
> 
> The disgraceful prank call followed separate Improvised Explosive Device attacks in Afghanistan which injured two Top End troops on Sunday. A source said the hoax phone calls had been occurring for at least the past three weeks and included emails that were "anti-Australian military".
> 
> ...


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## RememberanceDay (3 Jan 2011)

HavokFour said:
			
		

> The question is gentlemen, how does the caller know the families have loved ones overseas? The police should look for a connection between all the families that have been called, it could be someone they all know.
> 
> God forbid, I hope it isn't a serving member doing this.



Amen to that!

It only takes one mad soldier, and a phone with some limited backround knowledge of the soldier.


Disgusting, utterly and truly *revolting.*


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