Identity Theft 2019

ID Theft Thwarted When Bank Employee Suspects Phony Driver’s License

Tips on How Not To Be Scammed During the Holiday Season

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

Fraudulent Bank Account Opened, Used to Steal More Than $10,000 From Darien Victim

Police: Alert Neighbor Tips Off Cops, Resulting in Arrest of Two in ID Theft Scheme

Police: Suspicious Bank Employee Foils Attempt to Withdraw $2,300 with Phony Driver’s License

FTC: ID Thieves Promise Free DNA Testing Kit from Medicare in Exchange for Social Security #

Seen This Man? Darien Police Would Like to Talk to Him

Police: Possible Attempted Fraud at Bank in Darien

Possible Attempt to Fraudulently Cash a Check at a Bank in Noroton Heights

Public Safety

By David Gurliacci | December 27, 2019

Public Safety

By DARIENITE.COM | December 2, 2019

Public Safety

By David Gurliacci | October 30, 2019

Public Safety

By David Gurliacci | October 24, 2019

Public Safety

By David Gurliacci | September 10, 2019

Public Safety

By David Gurliacci | August 8, 2019

Public Safety

By LISA LAKE | July 22, 2019

Public Safety

By David Gurliacci | June 26, 2019

Public Safety

By David Gurliacci | January 16, 2019

Public Safety

By David Gurliacci | January 9, 2019

When an employee at Chase Bank at 165 Noroton Avenue looked at the Florida driver’s license a customer had provided as identification, it didn’t seem to be real. The employee told the customer he was seizing the license and he would have to go to police to get it back. That conversation at about 2:45 p.m., Wednesday, Dec. 18, ended when the customer, who wanted to transfer $1,000 from one account to another, then turned around and left the bank. The employee thought the driver’s license didn’t seem to be the right size or have the right watermarks on it.

Now that the holiday shopping season is in full swing, scammers are shopping too, looking for people to separate from their money. The Federal Trade Commission already gave you some tips for happy holiday shopping, but here are some tips to help you outsmart those bah-humbug scammers and donate safely. — an announcement from the Federal Trade Commission Consumer Information blog

Online shopping? Pay by credit card. Credit cards give you extra protection for most online purchases.

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).

A Darien man who checked his bank account online on Saturday, Oct. 12 found charges and transfers that he didn’t make. In 16 fraudulent transactions, $10,492.52 was removed from his account into a new account and a credit card, both opened in his name at the same bank. The man contacted his bank and was told two debit cards, a credit card had been issued and a bank account had been opened in his name. The fraudulent activity continued after the man had spoken with the bank.

Delmon Medina and Johell Reyes mug shots

In the criminal justice system, the people are represented by two separate yet equally important groups: The police who investigate crime and the district attorneys who prosecute the suspects. Just don’t forget the important role played by the people, themselves. This is one of those stories:

(It’s based on the Darien police account, which includes accusations not proven in court.)

Last Wednesday morning, a neighbor saw a light colored vehicle with New York license plates pull into an the driveway of an uninhabited home on the market on Huckleberry Lane. Someone from the vehicle (police didn’t say what kind of vehicle) put a note on the door, then left. The neighbor went over and read the note, which had instructions for a delivery company to leave a package on the front steps.

A nervous, “older” man who tried to withdraw $2,300 from TD Bank at 55 Post Road gave the teller a phony driver’s license that made the teller suspicious, then walked out, police said. Minutes later, a call was made to police. Darien police described what happened with this account:

At about 5 p.m. on Friday, July 26 (not closing time — the bank is open until 7 p.m. on Fridays), the man went into the bank and presented the teller with a Florida driver’s license, which was accurate except for the photo, which was of the suspect. The teller, suspicious about the ID, asked the man several questions to verify his identity. The signature the bank had on file for the account was different from the man’s signature.

Image from FTC video Hang up on fraudulent telemarketing https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/media/video-0036-hang-fraudulent-telemarketing

Here’s one that goes to show just how creative scammers can be. The FTC is getting reports that callers claiming to be from Medicare are asking people for their Medicare numbers, Social Security numbers, and other personal information — in exchange for DNA testing kits. — Lisa Lake is a consumer education specialist with the Federal Trade Commission. This article originally appeared on the FTC website. The callers might say the test is a free way to get early diagnoses for diseases like cancer, or just that it’s a free test, so why not take it?

Update, June 26: Darien police have released these pictures of the man reported loitering on Oak Park Avenue on Wednesday, June 19, and police released the following statement:

In an attempt to ensure residents are aware of an ongoing mail fraud scheme, the Darien Police [Department] is releasing information and images about the suspect involved in a recent incident where an attempt was made to intercept mail containing fraudulent bank cards. The individual, who identifies himself as “Paul Doane,” has been observed in Darien on two occasions. Investigation into his potential criminal activity revealed he has been contacted by police in other jurisdictions within the state. We ask the public’s assistance in reporting any sightings of the individual in the images we’ve provided. Camera footage shows him to be driving a silver sedan with Canadian plates.

A woman who wanted to deposit a suspicious $5,407.62 check at a Darien bank provided suspicious identification to a teller, then left the bank when the teller went to speak to a manager, Darien police said. Police described the incident this way, based on what they were told by the teller:

The teller at HSBC Bank, 151 Post Road, said a woman filled out a deposit slip at the bank and also wanted to withdraw $5,000 of the money. The type on the check appeared to be crooked, which raised the teller’s suspicions. When asked for her identification, the woman produced a New Jersey driver’s license. The date of birth on the ID didn’t match the appearance of the woman, the teller thought.

« August 2022 »

Darien police received a report from the Chase Bank in Noroton Heights that a woman offered suspicious identification in an attempt to cash a check at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 31. Police gave this account of what happened:

The woman gave a teller at the bank a New York state driver’s license for identification. The teller, however, didn’t think the woman in front of her seemed to be the same age as the date of birth given on the license. The woman was described as white, with dark hair.