YYZlover

in Canada.

When looking for work I got in contact with a headhunter. She coached me through the process and I got in the top layer and had my interview but didn't get the job. Now, she said she liked me so much that she wanted to hang out with me, get to know me and find me other work. As she lives down town, she told me to stay at hers for a week so it would be easier for me to get around to interviews. By now we were coming to the end of my Canadian stay.

During my week there she suddenly went frantic and started talking about some jewelry she was missing - you can see where this is going, right? I helped her look for the pieces and they were nowhere in the apartment.

My time in Canada ended and I flew back home.

Yesterday I get an e-mail from a friend who has NEVER met the headhunter but my friend is on the reference list. Apparently she had called him and accused me of stealing. Now, my friend got his facts wrong in the email to me that he said it was my friends whom I had been staying with who said this. Ofcourse, I called them and asked. They said it was the headhunter and that she had e-mailed them about the time I was leaving. I then called my friend and he confirmed it was her. She had called him. She had been convincing enough for him to believe her because he was very accusative towards me in his e-mail. (yes I know, with friends like that, who needs enemies).

She categorically denies having talked to him. However, I know it wouldn't have come from the people I stayed with as he and them don't know eachother. It has to be from her, and he did mention her name (at least he got that right).

Her latest e-mail says that she regrets having sent the email to the pepole I stayed with.

I just read that email. In it she not only accuses me of stealing her jewelry but other nondescript items as well. She claims that she has filed a police report and named me in it. She sent them this e-mail just two days before I left Canada. My friends knew I was upset enough to put this to me and basically told her that they didn't want to have anything to do with it.

So, apparently I am in a police report about a theft to a total value of more than $2000.

And god knows who else on my list of references she has been emailing. She had a long list so she could pick and chose the most suitable for each job.

Now what shall I do? I'm fearing that this woman has singlehandedly put an end to my plans of immigrating to Canada. At least for the foreseeable future.

gotoronto

She sounds like a complete lunatic to me... I am not sure why on earth she would invite a candidate to stay with her in the first place? Wonder if she had an agenda - like getting a foreign person to stay with her, then filing an insurance report and claiming money back for jewelery?

In any event, the first thing I would do is to contact all your referees now and forewarn them about a potential call from this lunatic woman. Not in a frantic manner - but just in a light-hearted manner with the bare essential details.

I am not sure how police records work, but I would tend to think that only convictions would show on a police clearance? On the other hand, not sure whether immigration would have access to any other databases that would show that you are "wanted for questioning" in some case or the other. This is hardly grand theft in the first place!

YYZlover

I've gotten hold of 4 of them so far and only two (the ones mentioned in the post) have had this from her.

It was the headhunter who told me about my friend being in hospital. She had had a meeting with him the day before. Mapping out ow they were going to get me back to Canada. Anyway - he has not heard anything. Another guy on the reference list has not heard anything either. However, he has friends in the police force in GTA and am thinking of asking him to have snoop.

One of my references is one of my biggest clients!

During my stay there I realized that everything wasn't quite right about her. Stories started mismatching, one story she told one day was repeated another day but suddenly places and people were different.

A few hours during the day she would be quite normal but at the end of the day she'd be quite weird. Manic and a completely different person. Very manipulative as well as she got me to feel sorry for her.

Anyway - it will be interesting to see how this pans out.

gotoronto

Obviously, I have not met her, but from what you describe, she might have a mental condition like schizophrenia... did she tell weird stories that made no sense but sounded highly intelligent?

It will be interesting to see how it pans out, but if it goes down a not-so-pretty path, one of the things you may need to consider is how to put her state of mind in as a defence... .

YYZlover

Pretty much. But at the same time it was more like same story that had slight alterations in details, like person involved and location.

I'm also starting to suspect that the job she was recruiting for she never had anything to do with. One of my references did speak to one of the guys in that company and according to that guy they weren't using a head hunter and he never had my application so had to send it in ASAP as they were interviewing that week.

To be honest, the more I think about it the more I believe that whatever that woman said was a lie.

Zoe Bell

You are NOT a thief. You had the keys to our place for a week , you could have quite happily cleared out everything and then buggered off many times over.

I do not know what is going on with this woman.

mandymoochops

I would contact the police and tell them you have heard this and are you needed for any questioning etc. The liklehood is no but at least you can prove to all and sundry that you dealt with it head on and obviously sre innocent but wanted to get it sorted.

She sounds a bit of a fruitcake to me Sorry I know shes your friend and all but friends don't do that to each other

Danny B

You will not have a Police record as you haven't been convicted of anything you have only been mentioned in a statement.

fledermaus

you only have this womans word that you are on a police report. I doubt she has. She has however, been spreading libellous comments about you. I would speak to a lawyer and get them to write to tell her to stop spreading malicious comments

Somehow along the way this woman has been hurt by you, inadvertently of course, but she seems hell bent for revenge rather than having the police investigate a theft. If it were a real theft then she wouldnt be sending out bad references etc.

It shows her in a bad light, not you. I also doubt this is an isolated incident on her part.

kate white

if I were you I would go and see a lawyer and have this woman stopped, friends dont treat people like that, the woman is in need of a straight jacket.stay well away from her and be very carefull from now on hope you get it all sorted out soon

kate

YYZlover

I just had a talk with one of the people she had contacted. She has told him that there is a full ongoing investigation and I am the prime suspect. The reason being that she is trying to get the police to canvass pawnshops and she can't get them to do that unless she presses charges.

He said that she is on the warpath.

I'm thinking of e-mailing her and have her send me the contact details to the police officer she filed it with so that I can contact them. If they want a picture of me to show to pawnshops, I'm happy to provide that.

But before I do that I want to talk to a friend of mine in TO who has friends in the TO police.

And here is me very upset and I have a job interview tomorrow.

*sigh*

fledermaus

Just contact a lawyer.

YYZlover

I wish I had the money for that.

Tanah

To be honest is there much they can do ? They only have this womans word for it, there is no evidence so to speak, they cant convict without evidence therefor you shouldnt end up with a police record. The police are not stupid ( most of the time) and should be aware that anyone at all could go around and accuse others of stealing their stuff giving them a criminal record- great way to p*ss off your enemies huh... Without being able to get hold of you I doubt there is anything they can do. I would definately NOT contact the woman in question, you never know how she could use the email. If you need tocontact anyone I would contact the police dept and speak to someone there, explaining that you have heard this and that you are worried about it. Hopefully they will help sort it all out. -

Good luck

YYZlover

That's why I'm trying to get hold of my friend who knows people in the police to find out who to speak to.

So no, I won't contact her at all.

To all: Thank you all for your support. This is so upsetting. I have worked in places where security clearance is a must (hauling money between banks). I've never been arrested in my life. I have no explanation to why but I am paranoid about ending up in a police record anywhere and have been since long before I was of the age of being able to be criminally charged.