MONROE, CT — A 79-year-old Monroe woman told police she accidentally hit the gas instead of the brake pedal, while pulling into a parking space behind the Crescent Village Shopping Center at 115 Main St. Thursday afternoon.
Police said her 2015 Lexus RX 350 struck a flowerbed, a retaining wall, shrubs and the support for the second-floor deck before coming to a stop.
The woman was not injured and refused a trip to the hospital, police said, adding a building inspector later deemed the building safe for occupancy. The Lexus was towed due to disabling damage.
Firefighters and Monroe Volunteer Emergency Medical Service personnel also responded to the scene of the accident, which occurred around 12:49 p.m.
Venmo the difference …
A Monroe teen told police she received a $5,800 check from someone on Instagram for a $2,500 painting. He claimed to accidentally overpay and told her to deposit the check into her bank account and Venmo him the difference.
People’s United Bank flagged the transaction and told the teen she could try again the next day. But by then, police said she realized it was a scam.
After declining to send the money, police said she received texts from people trying to get her to do it and claiming to be FBI agents, who could get her into trouble if she continued to refuse.
Unemployment scam
Police received three more complaints of an unemployment benefits scam from town residents, who told officers con artists applied for claims under their names.
Police said there is an uptick of complaints over this type of fraud, adding the last time officers contended with a rash of false unemployment benefits claims was two years ago.
On Wednesday, a 51-year-old Monroe man told police his part-time and full-time employers, both based in Bridgeport, called to inform him the Department of Labor called them about an unemployments benefits claim in his name.
The man told police he did not file a claim.
The victim contacted the Social Security Administration and the three major credit bureaus and will monitor his accounts. Police said there was no financial loss.
In another complaint filed Wednesday, a 62-year-old Monroe man told police the company he works for in Bridgeport received a notice from the Connecticut Department of Labor about an unemployment claim made using his name and Social Security number.
The man had not filed a claim. He informed the Department of Labor, froze his credit and is monitoring his accounts.
On Tuesday, a 79-year-old Monroe man, who is retired, told police someone fraudulently tried to file for unemployment benefits in his name, but was denied.
