Crime Watch

BY JERRY DANZIG

Uncle Sam ScamsTwo women were scammed out of thousands of dollars by callers identifying themselves IRS agents on August 4. In the first incident, a 51-year-old female Upper East Side resident got a call from someone purporting to represent the IRS, giving her final notice to pay $18,000 in back taxes. The caller was a scammer, and the victim was out the money she deposited in a Bank of America account at his instructions.

The same morning at around the same time, another 67-year-old female Upper East Side resident also received a phone call from someone claiming to represent the IRS stating that she owed $8,237 in back taxes and needed to make immediate payment with a deposit to a Wells Fargo account. This call also was fraudulent, which the victim failed to realize until after she had paid the money.

To Catch a ThiefA dedicated doorman alerted a building resident to a late-night motorcycle theft. Early on the morning of August 3, an East 73rd Street resident was awakened by his building super, who told him that the doorman said the resident’s 2008 Honda XR650L was being stolen. The man called 911 and then went downstairs to see a motorcycle that looked like his sitting next to a black minivan. The owner ran to his car parked nearby and pursued both the van and a man who was riding the motorcycle. Finally, the rider got off the bike and fled on foot while the owner continued to follow him in his car. Police arrived on the scene and caught up with the thief at 71st Street and Third Avenue, where the owner positively identified him. The thief, a 25-year-old man from the Bronx, was arrested and charged with grand larceny auto.

High-Top LowlifeA bad guy paid a very high price for some designer sneakers and shirts. At 3:20 p.m. August 3, a 35-year-old man from Brooklyn entered the Barneys store at 660 Madison Ave. and tried to use a fraudulent credit card to buy merchandise worth about $3,000. The man’s purchases were declined, and he was arrested on a charge of grand larceny. The items he had attempted to buy included one pair of Louboutin sneakers valued at $1,295, one pair of Balenciaga sneakers valued at $645, and two Givenchy shirts, each priced at $555.

Scrambler GamblerAt 8:30 a.m. on August 1, a 26-year-old male Upper East Side resident parked his black 2016 Ducati Scrambler outside 860 Fifth Ave. He left town on a business trip and when he returned to his parking spot at 10:15 p.m. on August 4, he found that someone had scrammed with his Scrambler. The missing vehicle was valued at $12,000.

Window of OpportunityIf you do not have apartment insurance you may wish to get some after you read this story. At 9 a.m. on August 4, a 28-year-old man left his apartment on 74th Street between First and Second Avenues to go to work. When he arrived home at 6 p.m., he found that a window in his apartment had been forced open and a number of his belongings were missing. These included an Apple MacBook Air valued at $1,000, a Suunto Ambit watch priced at $350, two rings totaling $1,600, another MacBook priced at $1,000, a Michael Kors watch tagged at $400, and a MacBook charger. Police said the perpetrator had left the premises via the front door.