Newtown Police Log: Resident Lost $20K In Phone Scam

NEWTOWN, PA — The Newtown Township Police Department reported the following incidents between Feb. 12 and Feb. 25, 2021.

February 12

At 8:15 a.m., a resident called police to report that an unemployment claim was fraudulently opened in his name. A report was filed, and the man was told to contact the unemployment office.

At 3 p.m., a Wrightstown Township resident reported receiving a scam call from PECO. The scammer claimed to be a PECO employee who told her that her bill was past due and her electricity would be shut off in two hours unless she paid with a pre-paid debit card. The resident was told to purchase three $500 pre-paid cards at CVS and provided the card information to the scammer. When the resident contacted PECO directly to verify that her account was up-to-date, she realized that she was scammed.

At 7:45 p.m., police were called to a two-vehicle crash with no injuries at the intersection of North Sycamore Street and Durham Road. The responding officer detected a strong odor of marijuana from one of the drivers, who subsequently failed field sobriety tests and was placed under arrest for suspicion of driving under the influence, police said. Charges are pending blood evidence results.

February 15

At 11:30 p.m., one person was charged with driving under the influence following a traffic stop on the Newtown Bypass.

February 17

At 9:15 a.m., police were called to the Newtown Industrial Park for several reports of catalytic converter thefts from vehicles. Police are asking for the public's help in identifying the suspects.

February 19

While on routine patrol around 2 a.m., an officer saw a suspicious vehicle in the rear parking lot of the Shell gas station in Wrightstown Township. One of the passengers was charged with providing false identification to a police officer.

At 10:15 a.m., a resident reported someone had opened a bank account in Ohio using her personal information. The bank closed the account immediately and no money was lost.

February 20

At 12:30 a.m., police made a DUI arrest on Durham Road near North Drive.

At 11:45 p.m., police made a DUI arrest on the Newtown Bypass near Woodbourne Road.

February 21

At 1:45 a.m., police conducted a traffic stop on Buck Road that resulted in the arrest of a person with an active arrest warrant out of Bensalem.

At 3:15 p.m., a resident contacted police to report a fraud. While reading an email that appeared to be from Land's End, her computer screen locked and a message appeared to "call the help desk." After calling the number she spoke with someone who claimed to be from the Bank of America fraud department, who told her that her bank accounts were hacked and all of her money was sent to another person. They claimed that she could secure her money by purchasing various gift cards and giving them the card information immediately. The woman followed the scammer's instructions and purchased $20,500 worth of gift cards from various establishments such as CVS and Lowe's and then relayed the card information to the scammer. She also failed to listen to the advice of store clerks who told her she may be a victim of fraud, police said.

At 9 p.m., a traffic stop on Buck Road near Mill Pond Road resulted in a DUI arrest.

February 22

Several truck utility boxes and hand tools were reported stolen from a business on Penns Park Road in Wrightstown Township. A trailer and stump grinder were also stolen.

A resident reported receiving a letter in the mail that was addressed to someone else for pandemic assistance. The resident reported the fraud to the Pennsylvania Department of Labor.

February 23

At 4 p.m.., police were called to the 7-Eleven on South Sycamore Street for a drunk man who ran his vehicle into the trash can. The man was placed under arrest for suspicion of driving under the influence.

February 24

The Newtown-Makefield Truck Enforcement Unit conducted a commercial vehicle safety detail on the Newtown Bypass in the area of Lindenhurst Road. Eights trucks were stopped and inspected, two were placed out service, and seven citations and six warnings were issued for violations.

At 9 p.m., police made a marijuana DUI arrest on the Newtown Bypass near Buck Road.

February 25

A resident called police to report fraudulent transactions on her credit card totaling $195.

At 2:15 p.m., a resident told police she received a call from someone who said her grandson was charged with homicide in a fatal car crash. The woman was told to send cash via FedEx to the "public defender" to free her grandson. The woman sent more than $10,000.

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