卡加利警方在希爾赫斯特火災被視為縱火後尋求信息，與比特幣詐騙有關

警方現向 Hillhurst、Hounsfield Heights/Briar Hill 和 West Hillhurst 社區的居民詢問可能對他們有幫助的閉路電視錄影

Calgary police are investigating a suspicious fire in Hillhurst that they believe may be connected to a frightening Bitcoin scam.

卡加利警方正在調查希爾赫斯特發生的可疑火災，他們認為這可能與可怕的比特幣騙局有關。

On Tuesday, Nov. 19, at around 3:10 a.m., police and fire crews were called to a home in the 1700 block of Eighth Avenue N.W. that was on fire.

11 月 19 日星期二凌晨 3 點 10 分左右，警察和消防人員被召集到西北第八大道 1700 街區的一處著火房屋。

Fire crews quickly extinguished the fire and no one was injured. The damage to the home appeared to be minimal in what police are describing as a "completely random" incident.

消防人員很快將火撲滅，沒有造成人員受傷。警方稱這起事件是「完全隨機」的，對房屋的損害似乎很小。

Further investigation revealed that a number of residents from surrounding properties in the area said they received threatening letters asking for bitcoin transfers that were left on the front steps of their homes.

進一步調查顯示，該地區週邊房產的一些居民表示，他們收到了留在自家門前台階上的威脅信，要求轉移比特幣。

Sgt. Kurt Jacobs with the Calgary police's arson and robbery unit said the hunt for a suspect, or suspects, is still ongoing and that the notes are believed to be connected to this incident.

中士。卡加利警方縱火搶劫部門的科特·雅各布斯表示，對一名或多名嫌疑人的追捕仍在進行中，這些筆記據信與這起事件有關。

“There was no direct threat to the people living in this house, but definitely indications that these people were wanting money and they're wanting people to follow their directions,” he said.

「住在這棟房子裡的人沒有受到直接威脅，但明確表明這些人想要錢，他們希望人們聽從他們的指示，」他說。

“We also believe that the arson or fire set would be a way for them to show some type of repercussions if someone doesn't follow though, but that's not directly laid out in these particular letters."

“我們還相信，如果有人不遵守，縱火或放火將是他們表現出某種後果的一種方式，但這並沒有直接在這些特定的信件中列出。”

Police are now asking residents of the neighbourhoods of Hillhurst, Hounsfield Heights/Briar Hill and West Hillhurst for CCTV footage that might help them identify who dropped off the letters.

警方現在正在向 Hillhurst、Hounsfield Heights/Briar Hill 和 West Hillhurst 社區的居民詢問閉路電視錄像，這可能有助於他們識別是誰投遞了這些信件。

One of the notes obtained by CTV News reads “YOU ARE REQUIRED TO PAY $1400 TO THE BITCOIN ADDRESS ABOVE” followed by the words “DO NOT NOT PAY.”

CTV News 獲得的一張紙條上寫著“您需要向上述比特幣地址支付 1400 美元”，後面是“請勿支付”字樣。

Nearby resident Beverley Young and her family received a note.

附近的居民貝弗利·楊（Beverley Young）和她的家人收到了一張紙條。

“It was kind of weird, it just didn’t seem real so at first we shrugged it off but then my husband noticed that several other notes had been left on our neighbour’s porches too,” Young said.

「這有點奇怪，它看起來不太真實，所以一開始我們聳了聳肩，但後來我丈夫注意到我們鄰居的門廊上也留下了其他幾張紙條，」楊說。

“So right now we’re just trying to be aware of vehicles and people that you normally don’t see on this street and to communicate with our neighbours to be on the alert.”

“所以現在我們只是想了解這條街上通常看不到的車輛和行人，並與鄰居溝通以保持警惕。”

Others like Colette Baser were also concerned by the news, adding that her family is keeping a watchful eye for anyone placing strange flags on homes or acting suspiciously in the area.

科萊特·巴塞爾等人也對這一消息感到擔憂，並補充說，她的家人正在密切關注任何在房屋上懸掛奇怪旗幟或在該地區做出可疑行為的人。

“It really makes me curious to know what puts somebody in a situation where they’re willing to put a note on somebody's door and request bitcoin, and it's usually desperation,” said Baser.

「這真的讓我很好奇，想知道是什麼讓人們願意在某人的門上貼一張紙條並索取比特幣，而這通常是絕望的，」巴瑟說。

“So what is happening within the situation, within our political climate? What is happening, you know, in terms of housing, food prices, what is creating somebody to be in such a desperate situation to do that? To me, that is the root question honestly.”

「那麼在這種情況下，在我們的政治氣氛中正在發生什麼？你知道，就住房、食物價格而言，正在發生什麼事情，是什麼讓人們處於如此絕望的境地這樣做？對我來說，老實說，這是根本問題。

Police said that similar fires are believed to have been set in Edmonton in September and October, and they are investigating whether the incidents are related.

警方表示，據信埃德蒙頓九月和十月曾發生過類似火災，他們正在調查這些事件是否有關聯。

Dan Jones, a former Edmonton police officer for 25 years and current Chair of the Justice Studies Program at Norquest College, said the motivation in these crimes is to obtain ‘realistic’ amounts of cash from vulnerable residents.

曾擔任埃德蒙頓警官 25 年、現任諾奎斯特學院司法研究計畫主席的 Dan Jones 表示，這些犯罪的動機是從弱勢居民那裡獲取「現實」數額的現金。

"I think what’s interesting is the amount of money that they're asking for isn't excessive, right? They're not saying, 'I would like to burn down your house if you don't give me $100,000,' they're asking for between $1,000 and $5,000 on these things,” Jones said.

「我認為有趣的是，他們要的錢並不過分，對吧？他們並沒有說，『如果你不給我 10 萬美元，我就想燒毀你的房子，』他們」這些東西要價1,000 到5,000美元，」瓊斯說。

“That’s more of a reachable amount for most people, so they're realistic in their expectations, but it also seems that they're realistic in their threats, which is pretty scary,”

“對於大多數人來說，這個數字是可以達到的，所以他們的期望是現實的，但他們的威脅似乎也是現實的，這非常可怕，”

Jones added that there could be an organized crime connection to these incidents that will have to be investigated.

瓊斯補充說，這些事件可能與組織犯罪有關，必須進行調查。

“The Bitcoin thing is also confusing for me, because how does the person know which person from which house transfers the Bitcoin?

「比特幣的事情也讓我感到困惑，因為人們如何知道哪個人從哪個房子轉移了比特幣？

“How do you know which house to not burn? That’s the part that I'm concerned with: are they burning one random house and then making people believe it's going to happen to them?"

「你怎麼知道哪棟房子不該被燒？這就是我關心的部分：他們是否隨機燒毀了一所房子，然後讓人們相信這會發生在他們身上？

Anyone with information or video footage of people or vehicles in the area surrounding the 1700 block of Eighth Ave. N.W. on Tuesday, Nov. 19 between 1 a.m. and 4:30 a.m. is asked to contact police at 403-266-1234.

任何人如有 11 月 19 日星期二凌晨 1 點至 4:30 期間在第八大道西北 1700 街區周圍地區出現人員或車輛的信息或視頻，請致電 403-266-1234 與警方聯繫。

Those wishing to remain anonymous can contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477, online or by downloading the P3 Tips app.

希望保持匿名的人可以撥打 1-800-222-8477、在線聯繫滅罪熱線或下載 P3 Tips 應用程式。