Crime Watch

BY JERRY DANZIG

Some PeoplesOne Upper West Side resident may want to reconsider which acquaintances he invites to his apartment. At 5:30 p.m. on July 18, a West 96th Street resident had a friend over, whom he later saw taking some of his gold rings. He recovered the rings from his friend but later told police he discovered the rings and other belonging worth about $21,000 missing again on August 2. The man’s friend, identified by police as Bailey C. Washington, is wanted for questioning. In addition to four 18k men’s gold rings, the missing items include two crocodile belts, 15 pairs of sunglasses, wallets, shirts and pants.

Phony CallPolice remind the public to be wary of phone calls from people claiming to represent the IRS. Always call the IRS back at their listed phone number to check on the authenticity of any such claims! At noon on August 10, a West 92nd Street resident received a phone call from a person claiming to be a representative of the IRS and demanding that she pay $5,000 using iTune cards. Unfortunately, the woman fell for the ruse, paid the sum requested using ten cards each worth $500, and lost her money.

Troubled RelationsAnother area senior fell victim to a “relative in trouble” phone scam. At 6 a.m. on August 9, a Central Park West senior received several phone calls from a man claiming her nephew had been arrested and that he had asked the caller to contact his aunt for help. The caller told the woman he had an uncle working at Rikers Island who was willing to help her nephew avoid the charges, but it would cost $4,000. The woman went to HSBC, withdrew the money, and met the caller outside her building. She later found out that her nephew had indeed not in fact been arrested.

Hole in One GolfA woman from Greenwich, Conn., learned the hard way that cars parked on city streets are no place to keep belongings. At 9:30 p.m. on August 8, the 34-year-old woman parked her black 2013 Volkswagen Golf in front of 143 West 94th St. When she returned the following morning at 6:40 a.m., the rear driver’s-side window had been smashed and two suitcases, a digital camera and other belongings were missing.

Waiting on His Turn – for the WorseA robber hitting up a local bank was nothing if not patient. At 3:19 p.m. on August 10, a man in the Chase Bank at 2824 Broadway was waiting to be helped while a 29-year-old teller was assisting another customer. According to a police account, she apologized to the man for the wait, and he replied, “No, it’s OK.” He then passed her a note stating, “This is a robbery. Don’t do anything stupid. Give me all your money.” The teller gave the robber $1,000 in cash with no dye pack. He grabbed the money and walked away from her window. She pressed the panic button after he left her window but didn’t see his direction of flight.