A Spruce Brook Terrace woman fell victim to an elaborate phone scam, according to a complaint filed with police Wednesday.
Police said she received a voicemail from someone claiming to be from Eversource Energy. She called back and her call went through phone prompts that made it seem like the power company.
A woman answered and told her she needed to pay $492 for a new meter. The resident gave the woman her name, address, date of birth and account number, but then became suspicious after the woman started to act rudely toward her.
After the call, she called Eversource, which confirmed it was a scam and that the company never reached out to her.
To avoid a scam like this one, Lt. Stephen Corrone suggests Googling the phone number to determine if the voicemail was actually from Eversource. If someone calls and you pick up, Corrone said to tell the person you will call them back, then look up the number.
He also suggests calling Eversource or any company a caller says they’re from. “They would know immediately if it is a scam from other complaints,” he said.
Juvenile charged in burglary
A juvenile turned himself in on a warrant Monday, on charges stemming from the burglary of Monroe Turnpike apartment on Dec. 22, 2018.
On Dec. 22, a woman came home at 5:10 p.m. and noticed her apartment was burglarized. Police said a window was broken, so the intruder could reach in and open the door, and $26,410 worth of items were stolen, including two antique rifles, jewelry and wooden duck decoys.
“Based on an interview with the complainant, physical evidence at the scene and recovery of items, a warrant was applied for,” Lt. Stephen Corrone said.
The youth was charged with first-degree larceny, second-degree criminal mischief and two counts of theft of a firearm. He was taken to the Juvenile Detention Center in Bridgeport to await arraignment.
Look who didn’t switch to Sprint
A Grist Mill Road man received mail from a collections agency claiming he had an outstanding balance of $2,617 on his Sprint Wireless account. But he told police he does not use Sprint for his cellphone service, according to a fraud complaint lodged Monday.
Police said Sprint confirmed the man’s name on the account and the amount owed, so the Monroe resident is trying to straighten out the situation in the aftermath of the identity theft.
Bank thwarts I.D. thief
A West Maiden Lane woman told police Tuesday that someone tried to alter and cash a check she had put in the drive-thru mailbox at the U.S. Post Office on Monroe Turnpike. The mailbox had been broken into sometime between Oct. 14 and 15 and all the mail was stolen.
People’s United Bank called the woman to tell her someone tried to change the name on her check and cash it in New York state, but the bank refused the transaction and closed the account to prevent further fraudulent activity.
The case is under investigation.
Monroe police are working together with the United States Postal Inspection Service in investigating the theft of mail from the drive-thru mailbox. Since the heist, officers have received several complaints of checks being altered and cashed.
In a Facebook post, the Monroe Police Department asked residents who dropped mail in the drive-thru mailbox at the 270 Monroe Turnpike facility after 4 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 14, and before 9 a.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 15, to monitor their accounts for fraudulent activity and to report any instance of fraud to them.
The non-emergency number for the Monroe Police Department is 203-261-3622.
