Man Loses Thousands In Crypto Scam: Newtown Twp. Police Report

NEWTOWN TOWNSHIP, PA — The Newtown Township Police Department reported the following incidents and arrests between May 3 and May 8:

May 3

• At approximately 4:30 p.m., police were dispatched to the Learning Express on South Eagle Road for the report of an assault in front of the store. Police spoke with the subjects on scene and are continuing to investigate.
• At approximately 5:05 p.m., police were dispatched to the area of Durham Road and South Eagle Road the report of a two-vehicle traffic accident. Upon speaking with one of the drivers, the officer detected the odor of marijuana. The driver was unable to perform field sobriety tests satisfactorily and was placed under arrest for suspicion of driving under the influence. Charges are pending blood evidence results.

May 5

• At approximately 11 p.m. police conducted a traffic stop on the driver of a BMW for committing a vehicle code violation in the area of the Newtown Bypass and Richboro Road. As a result of the investigation, the driver was taken into custody without incident on an active arrest warrant from the department for fleeing and eluding police on March 7.

May 7

• At 10 a.m., a Newtown Township resident responded to headquarters to report fraud. His credit card was compromised, and there were several unauthorized transactions. The total value of loss was $500. The incident was documented, and the resident was advised to contact his banks, credit card companies, and credit bureaus to monitor his accounts.

• Police were dispatched to Ulta Beauty on South Eagle Road around 4:15 p.m. for a retail theft. The theft occurred on May 6 involving two female subjects. The value of loss was approximately $2,179. The investigation is ongoing.

• At approximately 10:40 p.m. police conducted a traffic stop on the driver of a Ford pick-up truck for committing a vehicle code violation in the area of Swamp Road and Twining Bridge Road. As a result of the investigation, suspected narcotics and drug paraphernalia were discovered and seized as evidence. Charges are pending.

May 8

• At approximately 2 a.m., police conducted a traffic stop on the driver of a Jeep SUV for committing a vehicle code violation in the area of the Newtown Bypass and Woodbourne Road. As a result of the investigation, suspected narcotics and drug paraphernalia were discovered and seized as evidence. Charges are pending.

• A Newtown Township resident contacted police at noon to report a crypto scam. The resident had received a text from a random phone number supposedly offering a job with Home Depot. The resident clicked the link to apply, followed lengthy instructions, and was later contacted through WhatsApp by a “training coach” for the job, which was described as a product reviewer for the company. A temporary advanced payment process was explained, involving payment after the completion of tasks. The resident was instructed to purchase crypto for those tasks and to transfer it to his work account through them. As a result of the scam, the resident lost thousands. The investigation is ongoing.