Crime Watch

BY JERRY DANZIG

Scent AwayPolice arrested a shoplifter who was a prior offender. At 5:30 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 16, a 49-year-old man entered a store at 750 Lexington Ave. and removed six bottles of Chanel fragrance valued at $582 without paying for the items. When he tried to leave the store, he was detained, arrested and charged with burglary.

Illicit SolicitingPolice arrested two teens for making fraudulent solicitations on behalf of a charity. At 1 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 13, a group of teenagers were aggressively accosting pedestrians at the corner of Fifth Avenue and 63rd Street. They claimed to be representing the Boys and Girls Clubs of America and were selling candy to raise funds for the organization. A police officer called the Boys and Girls Clubs to check the teenagers’ claim and found out that they did not in fact work for that group. Police arrested two of the teens and charged them with fraudulent accosting.

Tax AttackPolice are again reminding people to beware of a scam during which a caller purporting to be a representative of the Internal Revenue Service demands immediate payment by Money Gram. At 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 14, a 49-year-old male Upper East Side resident received a phone call from someone claiming to be an IRS representative, who said that the man owed $5,000 in taxes and needed to pay up at once. The man replied that he could only afford to pay $800 right away, which he wired by Money Gram. Police are continuing to investigate this latest phone scam.

Apparel AppetiteOne shoplifter apparently has a thing for cashmere. At 4:46 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 15, a man entered a high-end retailer at 878 Madison Ave. and made off with $1,230 worth of merchandise, including cashmere cardigans, leggings and other items of luxury apparel. Police are attempting to identify the perpetrator from store surveillance video.