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Police: Darien Resident Finds Fraudulent $1,350 Bank Withdrawal, Has No Idea How It Happened

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A Darien woman told police she checked her bank account online found a fraudulent check withdrawal that cost her $1,350, made out to someone she didn’t know and cashed in faraway Destin, Florida. Worse than all of that: She has no idea how it happened: “The complainant had no thoughts as to how her bank account could have been compromised,” the police announcement said. The woman, who lives on a small street off of Camp Avenue, reported the theft on Tuesday, Oct. 22. The police announcement didn’t say if her bank was refunding her the money it let someone else have (or if she was dumping that bank to use another, or what bank she was using).

Public Safety
Police Darien Police 02-01-17

Police: With a Fraudulent Check, $7,400 Stolen from a Darien Resident’s Bank Account

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A Mansfield Avenue resident told police on Monday, Aug. 12, that a fraudulent check for $7,400 was cashed against the victim’s bank account. The complainant (who was not described as either a man or a woman) told police at 11:55 a.m. that when the complainant checked his or her bank account, he or she noticed the $7,400 check. The victim called the bank (the name of which police did not provide), which was unable to give the exact location where the check was cashed, but that it was somewhere in the Glenbrook section of Stamford. The victim closed the bank account.

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Police: Female Scams Gas Station Employee With Fraudulent $100 Check

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Back on Nov. 16, a female paid for filling up her vehicle with a $100 check from a business, and an employee at the station gave her change from the unused amount, police said. The check was worthless. Darien police gave this account of what happened:

It wasn’t until Jan. 31 that the owner of the gas station, BP Vernal’s at 498 Post Road, was contacted by the business and told that the check hadn’t been signed by the business owner, so it was fraudulent.

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Darien Police SUV Pointed Right

More Reports of Mail Stolen After Being Dropped Off Outdoors at Post Office

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Mailing checks from the outdoor mailbox at Darien Post Office got expensive for several more people over the past two weeks — a total of almost $18,000 was stolen when the checks were altered and cashed, police said. Darien police received four more complaints of mail stolen after it was put in the mailbox outside the Post Office on Corbin Drive, downtown. Several thefts of checks mailed from the same box have been reported to police, starting in October. A total of $17,938.86 was stolen. Police gave these further details for each theft:

— A check to Aquarion for $100 was altered to $998.33.  It was mailed in the afternoon on Sunday, Jan.

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Darien Police Issue Statement on Recent Post Office Mail Box Thefts

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Darien Police Department on Thursday afternoon issued this statement to town residents thinking of mailing items, especially checks, from outdoor mailboxes, including the ones outside Darien and Noroton Heights Post Offices. Police are trying to get the Post Office to install theft-deterrent mailboxes, the announcement said. As for what you can do to help avoid getting victimized, police say town residents should “take steps to safeguard their outgoing mail.” Here’s the announcement:

The Darien Police Department continues to receive complaints in regards to articles of outgoing mail being stolen from inside United State Post Office depositories. From the stolen mail, any outgoing checks are removed and altered.

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Check Mailing Roulette: Two More Reports of Checks Stolen from Outdoor Post Office Mailbox

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Apparently mail is still being stolen from the outdoor mailbox at Darien Post Office on Corbin Drive: Twice last week, Darien police received reports from people telling them the checks they mailed from that spot had been altered for higher amounts and cashed. Darien police provided this information on each case:

On Sunday, Jan. 13, one victim mailed a check for $275, but on Thursday, Jan. 17, the victim noticed a check had been cashed against the account for $4,300. The image of the check showed that not only had the amount been altered, but also the recipient.