The Villager Newspaper Online Your Community News – Cleveland's Westshore
Area residents continue to be scammed for big money – it’s a reminder to never believe deals that seem too good to be true!
All That Glitters: In Bay Village, a Lake Forest Drive resident arrived at the Bay Village Police Department to report that he was the victim of a fraud. The male reported that he was scammed online for $3000 dollars. The male reported that he was contacted online and was offered a large amount of gold to be shipped to his residence if he were to pay shipping and fees to have it sent to him. The male was convinced it was legitimate due to the routing and shipping numbers included. Bay Village Detectives are investigating.
Bay Village Police would like to remind individuals that if an offer appears to be “too good to be true” it is likely a scam. Further, if someone is a victim of these types of scams they are likely going to be be targeted again and again by criminal organizations. If you are unsure about a potential deal, contact a trusted party or call local police for assistance.
Secret Shopper: A Brookpark Rd resident contacted Fairview Police upon discovering she had fallen victim for a “Secret Shopper” gift card scam. She had signed up for a secret shopper service and later received checks with directions to purchase gift cards with the proceeds. She cashed the checks and purchased gift cards from various stores. While doing so at one of the stores, the clerk advised her it was probably a scam. She then called police.
The scam artist actually called the victim while the officer was there, and spoke to the officer, but gave fake information. Investigation is continuing and the victim was advised to file a complaint with IC3.gov. Almost $4000 in gift cards had been purchased, but were not redeemed. The checks cashed will probably end up
as being fake near the registers.
Distraction Burglary in Bay: On February 1, 2020 at 4:47pm, a concerned party arrived on station to report that her mother was the possible victim of a distraction burglary. The female reported that her 93 year-old mother lives on Columbia Road. Around the beginning of December, a male knocked on her door and spoke with her mother briefly before entering the home. He then proceeded to the basement to look at a service panel. It is unknown if any items of value were stolen and Bay Village Detectives are investigating.
