Crime Watch
Counter Terrorist
A man stole a laptop from a gym. At 12:05 PM on Wednesday, April 16, a man entered an Upper East Side gym, reached behind the front counter, and removed a gray Apple laptop before fleeing in an unknown direction. The laptop was valued at $2,000.
Yorks!
A street thief snatched a woman's cell phone. At 6 PM on Tuesday, April 15, a 44-year-old woman was texting on her cell phone while she was waiting for the light to change on the corner of East 91st Street and York Avenue. An unknown perpetrator snatched her phone from her hands and fled eastbound toward the FDR Drive. Her cell phone was an iPhone 5S valued at $500.
Cleaned out in Queens
A man's bank account was ransacked by identity thieves. On Monday, April 14, a 52-year-old man living on the Upper East Side reported to police that during the period between March 9 and April 10, unknown perpetrators had withdrawn $52,500 from his bank account at various ATMs in Queens.
Credit to His Name
Someone opened multiple credit card accounts in a man's name. A 38-year-old male Upper East Side resident received a phone call from a local chain appliance store concerning a store credit card account for which he had not applied. He then checked with a credit card agency and discovered that six credit card accounts had been opened in his name without his permission or authority. At the time of the police report, it was unknown if any unauthorized charges had appeared on any of these accounts.
POLICE ADVISORY
Don't be the victim of Green Dot Prepaid debit card phone scams. With the availability of Prepaid Debit Cards, criminals have developed new ways to steal from the public:
a) A caller informs the victim that they owe back taxes to the IRS and must make immediate payment with a Green Dot MoneyPak.
b) A caller claims that the victim's family member had a car accident, and the caller threatens physical violence unless immediate reimbursement is made with a Green Dot MoneyPak.
c) A caller posing as a utility company representative demands immediate payment by Green Dot MoneyPak, or the victim's electricity or gas will be turned off.
Crime Prevention Tips
? Be suspicious of callers who demand immediate payment for any reason.
? Remember that anyone who has the number on a Green Dot MoneyPak card has access to the funds on the card.
? NEVER give out personal or financial information to anyone who emails or calls you unsolicited.
? NEVER wire money or provide debit, credit card, or Green Dot MoneyPak card numbers to someone you do not know.
? Utility companies and government agencies will NOT contact you demanding immediate payment by MoneyPak.