How do I retrieve a cash award?

Updated: August 19, 2021

 

When submitting a tip via phone, secure webform, or the P3 Tips mobile app, you will be asked if you wish to receive a monetary award (NOTE: this may be referred to as ‘reward’ in various applications).

 

GOOD TO KNOW:

Any time you provide a tip to Crime Stoppers, you will be issued an alpha-numeric code (NOTE: some of our older tips may have been issued numbers only). This code is your only identifier and will be used to either update your tip information, add to an existing tip, or retrieve your cash award (if and when approved). It’s important that you and Crime Stoppers are the only ones that know this number. Ensure to record this information safely once displayed on your screen, as it cannot be retrieved again.

Not every person is looking for a cash award when contacting Crime Stoppers, and not every tip qualifies for one. Often the quality of the tip information and the level of assistance it provided to the overall investigation will determine the amount approved.

The safety and anonymity of all tipsters is of utmost importance to N.B. Crime Stoppers. We must also ensure the protection of our trusted volunteers, who are paying the tips on behalf of our chapters throughout New Brunswick.

IMPORTANT NOTE: If a tipster should reveal their identity when they call the tipsline, or via Secure Webform and P3 Tips Mobile App with their information (or at any point in the process), they are no longer eligible for a cash award, as their identity has now been compromised and Crime Stoppers can no longer guarantee anonymity – something we take very seriously.

 

When is a tip eligible for a cash award?

Payment to tipsters is made when the information has helped law enforcement solve or conclude a case, and/or when an arrest has been made. Cash awards (also known as tip payments) range from a minimum of $100 to a maximum of $2,000 in New Brunswick, and adhere to a pre-determined Award Schedule.

Sometimes you will see amounts exceeding $2,000, typically associated with Missing Person Cases. However, all funds exceeding $2,000 were provided privately through other means and by other sources not related to Crime Stoppers and fall outside of the program.

Payment of an award may be made to a tipster when:

1. the information received is valid and leads to an arrest or conviction;
2. the information provided led to the recovery of stolen property, but no charges were laid;
3. the information provided led to a seizure of illegal drugs/contraband, but no charges were laid;
4. the information was in support of the Student Crime Stoppers program;
5. the information was of significant use to law enforcement agencies;
6. the information prevented a serious crime or incident from occurring; or
7. under special circumstances, with the approval of the N.B. Crime Stoppers Provincial Award Committee

 

How does the Payment Process work?

The investigation is completed, and results are reported to the agency’s Law Enforcement Coordinator, who is assigned to the local Crime Stoppers Chapter.

The Law Enforcement Coordinator determines if an award will be paid to the Tipster and recommends the amount of award (often contingent on the quality of the tip information towards the overall investigation) to the local Crime Stoppers Chapter’s civilian Board of Directors. The Board then makes the final decision and notifies the Provincial Office of the approval/denial.

Tipsters are asked to call back or Follow-up on their online/mobile tip 8 weeks after giving their initial information, whereby the tipster is advised whether the Local Crime Stoppers Board has recommended an award and is provided with instructions on how to retrieve their cash award.

For Web and Mobile Tips: An alpha-numeric code will be issued to you when you submit your information. This code can be used to check on the status of a submitted tip or to answer follow-up questions about the information that you submitted. You will also be able to upload additional images or information using this code. To follow-up on an existing tip, you can log-in to our site using the alpha-numeric code and password that was assigned to you automatically after your initial submission of information. Ensure to record this information safely once displayed on your screen as it cannot be retrieved again. Due to the high volume of information that is received, Crime Stoppers and/or its law enforcement partners may be unable to reply to every submission.

Also, please do not attempt to seek-out additional information about a crime on your own. Leave this to the law enforcement investigators and trained professionals. Your safety is our utmost priority. Your tip will be forwarded to the proper investigative agencies.

 

Don’t expect quick results or fast award payout

Depending on the tip that you have provided, it may take time to investigate. There are many reasons for this – it could be part of a larger investigation, or it could be put on file to be used at a later date. Every tip is useful, so don’t think that it didn’t help.

Cash Award recommendations and approvals, as a result, could take weeks, months or even years to be processed. This is the normal course of any investigation. Once approved, however, we strive to provide payment to the tipster as quickly as possible.

Remember: Crime Stoppers is not an investigative body, so we cannot influence how long it can take for law enforcement to act on the information you have provided.

Law Enforcement cannot get a search warrant or make an arrest based solely on anonymous information. It takes time to research and investigate a crime, but your information goes a long way to helping solve the case.

 

Once approved, how do I actually receive the cash award?

Depending on the Local Chapter in your Region, Crime Stoppers may utilize the following methods when paying tipsters throughout New Brunswick:

• • The most common method is that the cash award be placed in a plain envelope identified with a fictitious gender-neutral name, known only by the tipster and the Crime Stoppers volunteer making the payment. This is placed in a secure location that is approved by the tipster, such as a business or check-in counter. If the tipster does not feel comfortable with the business location suggested, the local Chapter will consider an alternate business or make arrangements for payment through another Chapter (if the tipster is living outside the jurisdiction the tip was intended for - e.g. tip was for Moncton but Tipster lives in Saint John). The envelope will be available at the drop-off location for a determined amount of time.

 

• • Another method used when a drop-off location is not possible is through Interac eTransfer. We recommend creating a generic email address (via Gmail, Outlook, Hotmail, etc.) so that we can send payment securely and the tipster can deposit funds directly into a bank account of their choosing. Generic email addresses are recommended in situations where a shared address or mailbox is being used at the tipster’s household, or when the address contains a name (e.g. John.Doe@crimenb.ca). The password for the eTransfer will be provided to the tipster once confirmation of a generic email has been confirmed.

 

• Payment ‘face-to-face’ can be requested in exceptional circumstances only, and must always be within daylight hours and in high-traffic areas such as shopping malls, parking lots, community centres or other locations that are safe for both the tipster and the volunteer administering the payment. A second Crime Stoppers volunteer may be present during the payment for safety and security reasons, and to verify that the cash award has been retrieved successfully.

• • It’s important to note that this method is not recommended as it may compromise anonymity. The Tipster may opt to send another individual to retrieve the cash award, as long as they know the correct Tipster Number/Code.