MONROE, Conn. — A couple was surprised to learn someone tried to sell their residence off Barn Hill Road out from under them, according to a police complaint made Tuesday.
Police said someone impersonating the victims executed a contract to sell their home to Better Buyer LLC, a Branford firm. After Better Buyer made a $6,000 deposit to the impersonator, the company started to send text messages and make calls to the Monroe couple over the course of several month.
The couple told police they ignored it, because they thought it was spam. Then the buyer filed a lawsuit against them at Bridgeport Superior Court for an alleged breach of contract and sought damages exceeding $15,000.
They told police they had never contacted Better Buyer LLC or any of its representatives and never entered into an agreement to sell their home.
“It appears the contract was executed with somebody who had no legal authority over the property,” Monroe Police Lt. Kevin McKellick said Friday. “We informed the owner of Better Buyer LLC that he was the victim of fraud and encouraged him to contact the Branford Police Department.”
The matter was forwarded to the Monroe Police Detective Division for further investigation.
Fraudster uses fear to scam elderly woman
An elderly Monroe woman was scammed out of $2,000 by a man claiming to be U.S. Federal Trade Commission chief investigator, who told her she was a suspect in a child pornography case, according to a fraud complaint filed Tuesday. The caller told her she needed federal representation to avoid being charged.
He reached out to her on March 14, and police said she was skeptical of his identity at first, until she began to receive text messages with photographs, including badge IDs and a police shield.
After he gained her trust, police said the Monroe woman gave him her Social Security number, checking account number and credit card number, then purchased four Apple gift cards for $500 each and texted the information to the criminal, for a total of $2,000.
After she sent the payment, she was told an appointment would be scheduled with federal agents at her home on Tuesday, March 17. When nobody showed up, she realized she was scammed and reported it, according to police.
The victim has since canceled her credit card, which had no suspicious activity on it, closed her bank account, and froze her credit with the three major credit bureaus, police said. She will also notify the U.S. Social Security Administration of the incident.
Monroe Police Lt. Kevin McKellick reminds the public that no branch of the federal government will call you directly and demand that you send them funds, especially in the form of a gift card.
DUI on Route 34
A 62-year-old West Haven man was charged with DUI following a traffic stop on Route 34 March 14.
At approximately 5:52 p.m., police were notified of a speeding maroon colored van with Florida plates entering Monroe from Newtown. A police officer, who was already running radar on Roosevelt Drive clocked the van traveling 55 mph in a clearly marked 40 mph zone, according to police.
The officer stopped the vehicle and spoke to the driver, who had the distinct odor of an alcoholic beverage on his breath and admitted to having had three drinks of tequila, police said.
Police said the driver’s eyes were bloodshot and glossy and field sobriety tests were not performed to standard, leading to his arrest. He was charged with DUI and traveling unreasonably fast, then released after posting seven percent of his $500 bond for a March 30 court date.
Protective order violation
A 42-year-old Monroe man was charged with violation of a protective order after allegedly going to the Purdy Hill Road home of his ex-wife on March 12.
At approximately 6:26 p.m., the victim called police about the white SUV parked outside her home. Though the vehicle left before officers arrived, they reportedly spotted it heading north on Monroe Turnpike and followed it to the police station.
The ex-husband was the passenger and officers questioned the woman who was driving, asking if they were at the residence. She said they were parked in front of the house, according to police.
The man denied speaking to his ex-wife or their two children, but it was determined that he violated the protective order by being at the house.
He was charged with three counts of violation of a protective order and released after posting seven percent of his $5,000 bond. He was scheduled to appear in court last Friday.
Theft from a vehicle
A Spinning Wheel Road woman told police someone entered her Nissan Altima and stole $30 cash from the center console on March 12. She thought she locked her doors, but police said there were no signs of forced entry into the vehicle, according to the report.
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