Man Loses Nearly $12,000 In Internet Fraud: Manalapan Police

MANALAPAN, NJ — Police continue to report instances of fraud and thefts in the township.

Here are the latest reports of fraud made to township police:

• A Manalapan resident, 70, told police he was defrauded via the internet on Feb. 15 of $11,800.
• A Manalapan resident, 55, reported that on Feb. 20 someone fraudulently withdrew approximately $3,000 from the victim’s bank account.
• A Manalapan resident, 38, told police on Feb. 18 that someone made fraudulent charges totaling approximately $400 using the victim’s credit card information.
• A Manalapan resident, 52, told police that on Feb. 17 someone stole mail from the mailbox of an Apache Drive residence and attempted to cash a check in the amount of $1,850. The check was intercepted by the bank and the person was unable to cash the check.
• There were two other instances reported to police where people tried to open credit cards or a bank account residents' personal information, but no monetary losses were reported.

The Police Department has on its website information on how to protect yourself from identity theft, one of the fastest growing crimes in the country. It suggests checking out these links for more information: www.njsp.org/tech/identity.html; The Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3).

Here are thefts and instances of shoplifting, as reported by police:

• Employees of Home Goods, 55 Route 9 in Manalapan, reported that on Feb. 16 at approximately 10:55 a.m., a woman removed merchandise valued at approximately $499.99 from the store.
• Employees of Best Buy, 15 Route 9 in Manalapan, reported on Feb. 15 that people removed merchandise valued at approximately $1,500 from the store.
• A Parlin resident, 44, reported that someone on Feb. 15 entered an unlocked shed located at a Route 9 business and removed cooking supplies and equipment. The dollar amount of the items were unknown at the time of the incident.
• A Manalapan resident, 33, told police his license plate was stolen from the victim’s vehicle. The timeframe of the incident was not known.
• On Feb. 17, someone forced entry to the Jewelry Design Gallery, 357 Route 9 in Manalapan, and removed merchandise from the business of unknown value. Patrolman Jason Vigneault handled the report, which is pending further investigation. Anyone with information pertaining to this incident is asked to contact the Manalapan Police Department at 732-446-4300.

All incidents are under investigation by police.