Investment Company Scams Resident Of $100K: Northbrook Police Blotter

NORTHBROOK, IL — The following information comes from the Northbrook Police Department and court records as a record of incidents reported to police and those arrested on criminal charges, which represent accusations by the state that are often dropped or reduced. Updated information may be available from the Cook County Clerk of the Circuit Court. Everyone arrested is presumed to be innocent unless found guilty in court beyond a reasonable doubt.

ARRESTS

DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE

Irma Osadchenko, of Prospect Heights, is accused of driving under the influence, DUI alcohol with a blood alcohol concentration level of .08 or more, illegal stopping in traffic, and was arrested at 2:18 a.m. Nov. 1, at Dundee Road and Fair Lane. Police said they saw a 2020 blue Toyota stopped in a lane of traffic near a set of railroad tracks. The brake lights were illuminated, and the driver appeared to be sleeping. When police walked up to the car, the driver, Osadchenko, let her foot off the brake, and the car started to roll forward toward the tracks. Police assisted and got her to stop the car. A court date of Nov. 19 was assigned.

LAST WEEK'S BLOTTER: 16 Separate Car Burglaries Reported In 1 Night — Northbrook Police Blotter

INCIDENTS

COMMERCIAL BURGLARY

A citizen called police at 8:07 a.m Nov. 1, to report that her family had owned a gas station in the 800 block of Waukegan Road that had been closed for several years. While checking on the property, they noticed a shattered window and a door that appeared to have been pried open. Several items inside the closed business were disturbed and graffiti was throughout the floor. Some tools had also been stolen.

RETAIL THEFT

• The loss prevention staff at a store in the 100 block of Skokie Boulevard reported at 7:41 p.m. Nov. 1, that a male had entered the store and grabbed several blue jean pants for sale. The male concealed the clothing and walked out of the store without paying. It is unknown how many jeans were stolen or their value.
• The loss prevention staff at a hardware store in the 1000 block of Willow Road reported on Nov. 4, that on Oct. 30, a female had stolen two propane heaters worth $308. When the staff asked the subject to stop, she kept walking to her silver vehicle. She loaded the stolen merchandise and fled the area.
• The general manager of housewares store in the 1700 block reported at 3:40 p.m. Nov. 4, said two people walked into the store and grabbed three espresso machines worth $2799.85. They walked out of the store without paying and loaded the stolen merchandise into a black vehicle before fleeing the area.

THEFT

A resident in the 1500 block of Shagbark Lane called police at 11:42 a.m. Nov. 3, to report someone had stolen the decorative landscape bricks that surrounded her utility box in her yard. It was unknown how much the bricks were worth.

INTERNET SCAM

An Exeter Lane resident reported at 12:38 p.m. Nov. 3, that he had been in contact with an investment company since February. The company appeared to be legitimate, so he invested $104,255.00 with the company. After nine months, he realized the company was a scam. He said the only contact person for the company would only chat with him via a third-party app and was no help. The complainant is working with his bank to freeze his accounts.

THEFT

A citizen reported at 2:02 p.m. Nov. 3, that someone had stolen several items from her purse at her workplace in the 1000 block of Sunset Ridge Road. While the purse was stored in an open office, a person stole her driver's license, credit cards and various gift cards out of it.

IDENTITY THEFT

The administrator of a condominium association in the 3100 block of Pheasant Creek Drive reported at 2:25 p.m. Nov. 3, that someone had illegally used the condo association’s information to open an AT&T account for a cell phone. The complainant said they received a bill for $465 for an account they never opened.

PHONE SCAM

• An Edgewood Lane resident reported at 4:16 Nov. 4, receiving a phone call from someone claiming to be with Citibank. The person said a card had been issued in her name on Sept. 3 and was declined when someone tried to purchase $9,750 worth of firearms in New York. The complainant advised it was not her and someone must have used her identity to get the credit card. The person transferred the phone call to a Zoom call with another person claiming to be with the FBI office. That person demanded to see the complainant’s driver’s license. The complainant showed her driver’s license and provided her cell phone number and email. The person claiming to be an FBI agent refused to provide certain information asked for by the complainant. When the complainant hung up, she verified everything was a scam and locked her credit accounts.
• A Shermer Road reported at 5:42 p.m. Nov. 4, receiving a phone call from someone claiming to be with PayPal. The person told her that a fraudulent deposit occurred with her account, and she needed to return the money. The complainant became suspicious and hung up the phone. She contacted her bank that is linked to the PayPal account to see if there was any fraud with that account. They found two pending withdrawals for $100 and $500 that she never authorized. The complainant closed the account and filed an investigation with the bank.