Crime Watch

BY JERRY DANZIG

Transfer TroubleConstant vigilance is the only defense against ID theft. On Sept. 30, a 60-year-old man West 90th Street resident realized that someone had taken money from his savings account. He noticed that two unauthorized transactions had been made, one in the amount of $25,000 and the other $10,000, transferring money to an unknown account.

Cartiered OffA West 89th Street resident left for a vacation on Sept. 23 and returned on Oct. 4. On October 5, while she was looking for her cell phone, she noticed her apartment keys were missing, as well as other items. In all, jewelry valued at about $17,000 was missing. She told police that three people had access to the apartment: a cleaner who had her own set of keys, a handyman and a friend. The handyman and friend had entered the apartment using a set of keys hidden behind cardboard. Those keys were missing as well, with both the handyman and friend claiming that they did not have them. The items stolen including an iPhone 6, a Cartier Tank watch, a Cartier ring, a pair of Cartier sterling-and-diamond earrings, a pair of diamond stud earrings and a pair of four-diamond four-hoop earrings.

Filial Felony?On Oct. 8, a Central Park West resident saw that her wedding ring was in her jewelry box before she left for a Broadway show. When she returned at 10:40 p.m., she opened the box to put away her jewelry and discovered that her wedding ring was missing from inside the box. While she had been out of the apartment, only her son was home. The missing ring was valued at $8,000.

Address for DistressA change of address notice made an Upper West Side resident realize that his checking account had been compromised. On Oct. 6, a 57-year-old man received a computer message from his bank Chase that his address had been changed from a West 97th Street to a Plainfield, N.J., address and that his phone number had been changed to a number in the 201 area code. He looked at his account details and discovered that checks totaling $6,600 had been withdrawn. He subsequently changed bank accounts.

Cruz ControlPolice collared a bike thief. At 12:30 p.m. on Sunday, October 2, a 44-year-old man entered 252 W. 91st Street through a basement front door and took two bicycles. He took the bikes around the back of the apartment building and handed them off to a female accomplice. Abraham Cruz of West 100 Street was arrested on Oct. 8 and charged with burglary. The bikes were valued at $1,400 for an electric model and $350 for a traditional two-wheeler.