MONROE, CT — A local woman received a phone call from a man with a southern accent Wednesday, who claimed to be an Ansonia police lieutenant. Calling her by her maiden name, the man claimed she failed to respond to a subpoena.
The caller refused to provide any details of the case and became aggressive when she tried to question him, police said.
To clear her name, the man told her to send him $4,270 cash from her bank via a money order. Then he said she should go to the Ansonia Police Department for the “two-step verification process for the subpoena.”
Police said the phone number was spoofed to show the nonemergency number for the Ansonia Police Department on the caller I.D.
The woman became suspicious and did not pay the caller.
She went to the Ansonia Police Department and spoke to the actual lieutenant, who told her he wasn’t the one who called her.
She filed a complaint with the Monroe Police Department and during the town’s investigation, Ansonia police confirmed they received six other reports about someone impersonating their lieutenant.
Fraud allegations
A West Haven woman was arrested on a warrant Tuesday after allegedly stealing $25 cash and two credit cards from a patient of a Monroe urgent care she worked at on Oct. 31. She allegedly ran up close to $600 worth of fraudulent charges on the cards.
A police investigation determined she allegedly stole the cash and cards from the patient’s belongings, which were temporarily left in an examination room during the medical visit.
The 26-year-old woman was charged with fifth-degree larceny, credit card theft and identity theft. She was released after posting 10 percent of the $500 bond and is scheduled to appear in court on Jan. 5.
Police said store surveillance cameras showed she using the stolen credit cards for $260 at Ulta Beauty in Milford, $175 at Dick’s Sporting Goods in Milford, $132 at Finish Line in Milford and $21.45 at Popeyes in Orange.
Police also interviewed her co-workers before applying for an arrest warrant.
Vandal blows up mailbox
A Wild Horse Court woman told police she heard a loud bang and officers arrived to find her mailbox completely destroyed, with pieces on the ground and evidence of two used fireworks.
The estimated value of the mailbox is $100.
