If you’ve been caught shoplifting, you may get a letter from the store telling you to pay them money. Stores do this to try to get compensation for the store's costs, such as paying store security, relating to criminal offences such as theft and fraud. For more information on these types of letters, see the following resources: 

• Shoplifting, from the Canadian Bar Association BC Branch, includes a section about shoplifting and scary notices.
• Shoplifting And Scary Notices is a LawLine Blog post (**note that LawLine is no longer in operation)

If you’ve been served with legal documents starting a court claim against you, you should get legal advice from a lawyer right away.

Need more help?

• Lawyer Referral Service, from CBA BC, helps you connect with a lawyer for an initial consultation of up to 30 minutes for $25 plus taxes.
• Call Legal Services Society Call Centre to see if you qualify for a legal aid lawyer.
• Duty counsel are lawyers who can give you free brief advice before your trial. They are available at courthouses throughout the province. Call Legal Services Society Call Centre or your local court registry to find out about duty counsel hours in your area.
• Find more help near you on Clicklaw HelpMap.

See our related common questions:

• See all common questions about crimes & offences
• See all common questions about debt

tags

shoplifting, shoplift, civil demand letter, collection agent, civil recovery demand letters