Police Blotter: Two Report Craig's List Condo Rental Scams

COMPLAINT

A resident of the 600 block of Lyon Court reported two men at his front door attempting to sell home-improvement services at 5 p.m. March 21. An officer located the men, who were soliciting for Top To Bottom Construction, but they did not have a permit to do so. They were told to stop. All three cleared the police database for wants and warrants.

MISSING PERSON

A resident reported at 11:30 p.m. March 20 that he last spoke with his 17-year-old son in the morning and had not heard from him since. An officer attempted to contact the son on his cellphone without success. The son was entered into the state police database.

SUSPICIOUS INCIDENT

A couple reported March 22 that they sent about $1,600 via Western Union to London as a deposit on a condo that was advertised for rent on Craig’s List. The landlord stated that he did not place that ad and did not receive any deposit from them.

A complainant reported March 21 that he answered an ad on Craig’s List for a condo for rent and had sent deposits via Western Union to a location in London. When the complainant confronted the landlord, he was advised that no such ad was placed on Craig’s List by the landlord, nor was any deposit received.

OTHER INCIDENTS

A resident received a call on March 21 from a credit provider who asked her to verify the last digits of her credit accounts, the last four digits of her Social Security number and her date of birth. The resident did not provide the information and hung up. The resident was advised to call the credit bureaus to determine if anyone attempted to use her information to apply for credit.

A resident received a call March 21 from a credit provider asking her why she was not paying her bill, and she replied that she did not have an account with them. The IRS then contacted the resident to verify her electronically filed tax return. She advised them that she did not file that return. The resident then received a bill for $777.75 from PayMeLater, a service she has never used. The credit provider, the IRS and PayMeLater will all follow up.

A complainant reported March 21 that he left a Go Pro Helmet Camera valued at $400 in an acquaintance’s car two weeks ago. The complainant has had no success in getting the item back. The acquaintance said that he had work done on his car and the camera went missing during that time.