Article Contributed on: 4/28/2009 2:47:34 PM
Westminster Police
CRAIGSLIST SCAM
Police received a report of attempted fraud during a Cragslist transaction between the reporting party who was selling furniture and a buyer. Police received the report at 4:15 April 14 from a 33-year-old woman who lives on the 12000 block of Home Farm Court. The reporting party said she posted furniture for sale on Craigslist. She received interest from an out-of-state buyer who was going to send the woman a $750 cashier's check and then the woman was going to ship the furniture. On April 1, the woman received a $2,950.70 business check and was told to keep $800 and to wire the remainder to
Gina Sanchez with a New York address. The check bore a Larusso Corporation logo and was signed by
Donald Larusso. The bank on the check was Citizens Bank of Connecticut, but had a Rhode Island address. The woman, who was suspicious, took the check to her bank, which confirmed it wasn't legitimate. The woman did not wire any funds to the buyer nor send the furniture. The only information the woman has about the buyer is an e-mail address.
EMPLOYMENT TURNS FISHY
Police received a suspicious activity report at 11:39 a.m. April 16 regarding a woman who responded to an advertisement for employment. The 58-year-old reporting party, who lives on the 7000 block of 87th Drive, said on April 12 she sent a résumé via the Internet to an unidentified company that was advertising for an accounting position through
The Denver Post. Soon thereafter, the woman received an e-mail that she had been hired and that she would soon receive her first assignment. She received an e-mail April 15 with instructions for her assignment. She was told that a check would be delivered to her and that she was to cash it at Western Union, keep $500 for herself and send the remaining money to an New Jersey address. The $3,700 aforementioned check was delivered to her house via UPS. Shorty after, she received a call from an unidentified male party with a heavy accent asking her if she had cashed the check and encouraging her to cash it as soon as possible. She immediately called the police and gave them the e-mail address in which she was corresponding, elizabethfirm10@yahoo.com. The woman had provided personal information including her full name, address and phone number and feared it might be used for fraudulent purposes.
JUVENILE POSSIBLY ATTACKED
Police received a report at 8:13 a.m. April 15 that a juvenile female was attacked in her garage on the 90000 block of Hoyt Street. The juvenile said between 6:30 a.m. and 6:45 a.m. that morning she was preparing to leave for school. She went to the garage and opened the overhead door to get the family van out. She went back inside, came back out and quietly was trying to close the door between the garage and the house when she was grabbed from behind by an unknown assailant. She said she managed to break his grip and turn around to face him. He then punched her in the right eye with a closed fist. The juvenile had a red mark below her eye. The juvenile said the suspect grabbed her shoulders, then she grabbed his shoulders, pulled him toward her and kneed him as hard as she could in the groin. She said he then fled. The only description she could give was that he had blue eyes, was about 6-foot 6-inches tall, muscular and possibly wearing dark clothing and wearing black gloves. Police asked why she had waited so long to call the police, to which she nor her mother had a response. The juvenile then said she had been seeing a red SUV near the residence lately, which she suspected was following her. She said the driver of the SUV had left her a note on her own car, but she later told her mother she wrote the note. Police suspected the juvenile made up the story, but posted extra patrol in the area. The case is inactive because there are no suspects.