MONROE, CT — A 31-year-old Croton Falls, N.Y., man was charged with DUI after a caller told police he was driving his Jeep Compass erratically on Main Street Monday afternoon.
A witness told officers responding to the 3:42 p.m. call that he saw the driver crossing the double yellow line into oncoming traffic several times on Route 25, before pulling up alongside him and telling him to pull into a parking lot.
The New York man pulled into the Tollgate Plaza parking lot. Police said he appeared to be confused and field sobriety tests determined he was under the influence. He was held on $500 bond for a March 10 court date.
Hairdresser is sharp to con
A con artist tried to rip off a hairdresser who offers services for weddings, but she was wise to the scam and didn’t fall for it, according to police.
She received an inquiry through one of the websites she advertises on and asked for $350 to secure the date. But the potential client mailed her a $1,350 check and asked for $1,000 change, police said.
She realized it was a scam and did not lose any money.
Police said con artists usually pay with a cashier’s check that takes a long time to clear, so by the time the mark reimburses them, the victim will not discover the original check had no funds behind it until it’s too late.
Bogus PayPal number leads to I.D. theft
An identity thief used a local woman’s banking information to purchase two $400 gift cards, according to a complaint filed with police on Feb. 28.
The victim attempted to buy tickets to a work-related conference online using her PayPal account, when she received a message that the transaction was unsuccessful. That’s when police said she performed a Google search for PayPal’s customer service and a bogus phone number popped up.
The person who answered the phone talked the woman into giving out personal information. When she realized it was a scam, she hung up. But police said the thief already got what he needed.
The victim’s checking account was used to make the fraudulent gift card purchases.
Police said she was advised to cancel all of her accounts and to contact the major credit bureaus.
