Police Log: WPD Seeking IDs of Couple Involved in Altercation, Resident Scammed by Man from Dating Site

The following information was provided by the Watertown Police Department. Arrests

None

Incidents

July 7, 7:22 p.m.: A small fire was reported by someone on the bicycle path behind Target. The fire was on private property just off the path where there were some patio chairs. Some cardboard and glue sticks were on fire, and appeared to have been lit by a cigarette lighter. Watertown Firefighters put out the fire.

Police Log: Two Pricy Bikes Stolen from Hotel, Fraudulent Checks Written

The following information was provided by the Watertown Police Department. Arrest

May 10, 11:50 a.m.: A man that had been trespassed from the Watertown Mall came back to the mall. Police were called and employees pointed the man out to them. The man had been sent a trespass order after being told to leave because he was unwanted. He had also been drinking alcohol in the Mall.

Police Log: Man Scammed Out of Nearly $250K, Shoplifter Caught in Home Depot Parking Lot

The following information was provided by the Watertown Police Department. Arrests

None

Incidents

April 21, 8:31 a.m.: An Oliver Street resident reported someone had opened a Sprint cell phone account in 2015 in his name, but he did not know about it until his credit was impacted in 2020. Someone got access to his personal information, including his Social Security Number, in order open the account. There was a balance of $376 on it. The account has been closed, and the resident is working with Sprint to sort out the issues.

Police Log: Fraudulent GrubHub Order, Catalytic Converter Stolen

The following information was provided by the Watertown Police Department. Arrests

None. Incidents

Feb 15, 1:39 p.m.: A Watertown man reported that someone tried to cash a check in his name. The check was for $498, and the person attempted to cash it in Connecticut. He was notified by his bank about the attempt, and said the check was not from his checkbook.

Police Warn of Door-to-Door Sales Scam in Watertown

Watertown Police warn residents to beware after two incidents reported by residents who bought magazines from door-to-door sales people who turned out to be scammers. The two incidents involved three scammers who knocked on doors saying they were selling magazines to raise money. One said it was for the Watertown Boys & Girls Club and the other was for domestic violence shelters but there are no such efforts, said Watertown Police Lt. James O’Connor. He added that incidents were part of a larger scam that has impacted several Metro Boston communities. At 5:54 p.m. on Nov.

Police Log: Serial Shoplifters Spotted at Target, Resident Caught in Rent Deposit Scam

Arrests

None

Incidents

July 6, 6:02 p.m.: The manager of the General Market on Waverley Avenue discovered that someone paid with a counterfeit $100. A man came in to cashed in some lottery tickets and purchased new scratch tickets. He owed $10 and gave a $100 bill to the person at the register, who gave back $90. Later the manager realized it was a fake bill. The suspect is described as an African-American man, around 20 years old, wearing a black sweatshirt with “Air Jordan” on the front, a black baseball hat, dark pants and a white medical mask.

Scams to Watch for Related to COVID-19, Unemployment

There are a number of ongoing scams to watch out for and Watertown Savings Bank has put together a list of the details for some of these scams.

Read the announcement from Watertown Savings below:

Safeguarding your personal and financial information is crucial to preventing fraud. We would like to make you aware of new scams—some related to COVID-19—that have recently affected our communities. The scammers have targeted the elderly, those applying for and receiving unemployment benefits, those seeking information on the coronavirus, and others. Elderly Scams: A scammer calls elderly residents claiming to be their grandchild or their grandchild’s lawyer; they proceed to tell fake stories to ask for money (e.g. the scammer claims the grandchild is in jail and needs bail money). Be mindful of the information you share on social media about your family and whereabouts.Always be wary of urgent requests for money made over the phone, by email, in person, or on social media.