Police Blotter: Email Scam Targets City of Grosse Pointe Resident

A 73-year-old resident reported Oct. 24 an email scam of which he is a victim.

The resident told police he received an email a few days ago from his Internet provider asking for his password and a list of email contacts. He provided the information, but then a few days later he began receiving emails from friends and family expressing concern about his welfare.

They told him they received emails saying he'd been injured in a fight in a London, England, bar and needed money to be sent to a specific person and address.

The resident did not recognize the name or the address as anyone he knows. He was advised by the Internet provider to change his password and to check with his bank and on all financial accounts to ensure none had been tampered with, according to a report. Officers from all of the Grosse Pointes have said such scams are hard to investigate because they typically involve people from overseas who are using fraudulent accounts to elicit personal information from the victims. They recommend never supplying password information to anyone who had initiated the contact whether it is by telephone, email or mail.

Car Egged While Driving

police are investigating the egging of a moving vehicle near Mack Avenue and Allard Road. The driver heard a series of loud bangs on the side of the car Oct. 22 shortly after 11 p.m. He did not stop but discovered upon arriving home that his car had been egged. He washed it off and told the responding officer he did not believe his car had been damaged but was planning to check it the following day when it was light outside. Officers checked the area where the driver reported it happening and stopped a vehicle with several young people, but they denied being involved. The driver of that vehicle told police he saw two young girls running in the area when he drove up. Officers did not find anyone, according to a report.

Damage Suggests Attempted Break-In

police are investigating what they believe to be an attempted home break-in to a home on Lake Shore Road. The 87-year-old resident and his caregiver called police Oct. 25 to report damage to a side door that is used infrequently. The caregiver discovered the damage upon arriving to the home that day but is unsure when it happened. The damage to the wood, paint and floor near the area of the door, which includes pry marks, appeared to be fresh. The resident told officers he does not believe anything had been taken, according to a report.

Fraudulent Check Ends in Arrest

Grosse Pointe Farms police arrested a 24-year-old Detroit man at near Mack and Moross Oct. 25 after employees called to report he was trying to cash a fraudulent check. The check was out of sequence for the company from whom the check was being issued and the signature did not match the one that is on file for the company account. Another red flag to the employee was the amount of the check and the "over politeness" of the man. The responding officer took the man into custody. While gathering additional information, the officer discovered the man had never worked for the company but another man with the same last name left the company only a day before. He had been the office manager and had access to the company's checks. When the owner of the company looked in the corporate checkbook, a page of checks were missing. The check the first man was attempting to cash was among the series, according to a report.

SUV Reported Stolen, Then Found

Grosse Pointe Woods police found an SUV reported stolen shortly after midnight Oct. 22 by its owner within about three hours. It was parked around the corner and did not have any evidence of being tampered with or damage. The owner of the SUV told officers he parked on Mack Avenue, went into a restaurant with friends and upon coming out that his key faub would  not work. He went back inside and then upon coming back out, the SUV was gone. He said it was parked on Mack Avenue between Anita Avenue and Hawthorne. Officers found the SUV parked in the 1900 block of Hawthorne about 3:30 a.m. and contacted the owner. The SUV was also removed from the stolen vehicle database, according to a report. Sgt. Raymond Yonkowski said they believe the owner confused about where he parked the SUV.

Mail Tampering, Theft Reported

A 43-year-old Grosse Pointe Farms woman reported the theft of $30 from three greeting cards that were mailed to her children from another city in Michigan. She told officers she mailed the cards and when they were delivered to the home, one appeared as if it had already been opened once and one was missing the card and the cash and the other was missing just the cash. Each card had $10 in it. Officers told her to also report the theft to the U.S. Post Office, according to a report.

Harassing Phone Calls

A Grosse Pointe Woods man reported receiving harassing telephone calls at his home to police from another man he believes he knows. During the calls on Oct. 22, the man spoke to the resident about his family but the resident continually cut him off. He kept calling back, however. The resident told police he believed it was a former neighbor, according to a report.

For questions on the police blotter, email sara.eaton-martin@patch.com.