Belmont Police Log, April 21-30: Car break-in, check fraud, identity fraud and more

The following are excerpts from the Belmont Police log as made available by the Belmont Police Department. The log is public and available for review. All persons are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law. 

Sunday, April 21

7:53 p.m.: Collision in the area of Trapelo Road and Beech Street between a 2015 BMW operated by a Belmont woman and a 2012 Honda operated by a Waltham man. The BMW was rear-ended by the Honda when stopping at a red light. There was moderate damage to both vehicles. The operator of the Honda received a citation for following too close.

Monday, April 22

3:39 p.m.: A Weber Road resident said she found a ladder leading down the steps to her basement door. She said the ladder did not belong to her. She asked neighbors and they knew nothing about it.

6:11 p.m.: An Old Middlesex Road resident reported identity fraud. He received a debit card from Port Mobile Banking in the mail today. He never heard from this bank and did not open the account. When he called to inform them, they said someone opened the account online and provided the last four digits of the phone number used. He said the four numbers do not match his phone number or any other phone numbers he knows of. He received a card in the mail with his name on it along with a letter that had his name and address on it. He was advised to monitor his credit reports for any changes.

9:11 p.m.: A Brighton Street resident reported several phone calls that were suspicious. At approximately 9:08 p.m., she received a call from someone saying they were at her residence to do a home inspection. She immediately hung up and the person called several times after. She did not look outside to see if anyone was at her residence because she was frightened. Officers drove by and did not see anyone outside her residence and cruisers would monitor her house. Officers called the number back and it reached a company called, Home Instead. They left a message requesting a call back but have not heard back.

Tuesday, April 23

9:54 a.m.: A Pierce Road resident reported 2017 GMC broken into. The vehicle was unlocked. The glove box and center console were opened and rummaged through. It did not appear anything was taken.

1:03 p.m.: A Worcester Street resident reported fraud. On April 19 at 4 p.m., he received a text message from TD Bank stating his checking account was compromised. The message provided the same TD Bank phone number he had in his phone. He called the number and was told his checking account was compromised and money was withdrawn from a bank in Florida. He supplied the person with his checking account number, routing number, social security number, date of birth and home address. Then, the person he believed to be from TD asked him to transfer money from his checking account through Venmo to the TD Bank fraud department to prevent it from being illegally withdrawn. The transfer was going to a TD Bank employee named Cameron Gilley. He initially started the Venmo transfer but did not complete it because he wanted to speak to someone in person at the bank. Today, he learned $1,891 was withdrawn from his checking account. TD Bank stated they would do what they could to retrieve the funds, but a police report needed to be filed. Officers advised him to call his financial institutions and the social security administration of the situation because his number may now be compromised and to keep an eye on his credit score.

5:28 p.m.: A Laurel Street resident reported a possible insurance scam. She received a voice mail from someone stating they were from Mapfree Insurance. She called the number and started giving personal information to the person. She hung up because she heard about possible scams. She looked up the official number of Mapfree and called it and spoke to a representative who told her no one from Map free insurance would be calling from the number of the call she received. The phone number was 508-949-9000. The phone number they asked her to call was 617-852-9706. She is worried because she has been a victim of fraud in the past. She was advised to monitor her accounts and call back if she notices any unusual activity. Officers researched the phone numbers and learned the 508 number was tied to auto insurance fraud and the 617 number was registered to a New York City number.

Wednesday, April 24

11:33 a.m.: An Orchard Street resident reported fraudulent activity. A Bank of America check was written on Feb. 12, 2024. Someone took one of her checks and forged her husband’s signature and cashed it. It was payable to Reginald Mathews for $4,124.23. The check was deposited electronically through Chase on Feb. 13, 2024. Her husband is also on the Bank of America account with her. They were not home on Feb. 12. The check was in their checkbook and blank when they left their home. The cleaners came to the home while they were away. She has contacted all of her banks and reported the incident to her credit bureau.

Thursday, April 25

7:42 p.m.: A Long Avenue resident said on April 15 she received a letter in the mail from PNC Bank confirming her new pin number for her online account. She thought it was a scam and didn’t respond. She then received an email about the account and also received a debit card in the mail. When she called PNC Bank, she was told someone used all her personal information to open the account online. PNC closed the account. She checked all the credit bureaus and did not see anything on her accounts.

Friday, April 26

11:24 a.m.: Collision in area of Belmont and Poplar Streets between a 2021 Toyota operated by a Quincy man and a 2015 Jeep operated by a Watertown man. Officers were not able to communicate with the operator of the Toyota due to a language barrier. The operator of the Jeep said as he approached the Poplar Street intersection, the Toyota came out of nowhere and crashed into him, causing him to spin out. The operator of the Jeep complained of left shoulder and arm pain and was transported to Mount Auburn Hospital. There was heavy damage to the Jeep and Toyota. Both vehicles were towed from the scene. The owner of the Toyota translated for the driver who said he was approaching the stop sign at the intersection of Poplar and Belmont. When he continued, he said he did not see the Jeep and collided into it. He was issued a citation for failing to yield at an intersection.

Monday, April 29

11:19 a.m.: Officers responded to Eastern Lamejun Bakery for a report of fraud. Over the weekend, the owner said he noticed two cashed checks he never issued. The check numbers were not chronological and didn’t exist in his checkbook. The first was written on April 22 for $7,643.77 and cashed on April 26, payable to Jasen Denaud. The second check was written on April 23 in the amount of $7,482.28, also cashed on April 26 and payable to Adrian Gomes Alves. Both people were out of Attleboro. Both checks had the correct routing number and account number. On April 28 he contacted the Citizens Bank fraud department who said he needed to go to a local branch. He was informed a hold would be put on the two fraudulent checks and it would take 4-6 weeks for the money to be returned to his business account. The bank representative requested a police report.

11:35 a.m.: A Gilbert Road resident reported fraud. On April 25, he Googled a customer service number for Apple because he was having issues with his MacBook. He spoke to a representative who said he owed $1,500 and his account was disabled. He paid the amount and then was informed, a “mole” was working in Bank of America and giving out his information. To protect himself, he had to withdraw money. He attempted to withdraw $16,000 from Bank of America in Waverley Square. He sensed something wasn’t right and the bank did not allow him to withdraw the money. He went to the Bank of America in Watertown and was able to withdraw the money. He was then instructed to deposit the money into a Bitcoin machine which is when he realized this was fraud and did not move forward. The number keeps calling him, but he is not answering. He also received a call from Goldman Sachs asking if he attempted to open a card and he told them he did not. Officers instructed him to contact the three credit bureaus and ask for a fraud watch on his information.

Tuesday, April 30

8:03 a.m.: Collision in the area of Washington Street and Common Street between a 2019 Toyota operated by a Belmont man and 2021 BMW operated by a Watertown man. The operator of the Toyota said he was uninjured. He was driving on Hastings Road towards Washington Street. He stopped at the stop sign before entering Common Street and when he proceeded, he was struck by the BMW. The operator of the BMW complained of injuries. Belmont Fire and Rescue also responded. The operator of the BMW said he tried to avoid the crash but could not react in time. He was transported to Mount Auburn Hospital. Both vehicles were towed from the scene. There was heavy damage to both vehicles. A witness, the crossing guard, said the operator of the Toyota did not stop at the stop sign and drove directly onto Common Street. The operator of the Toyota was issued a citation for failure to stop.

Belmont Police responded to seven domestics, one resulting in an arrest for assault and battery on a family member and three mental health calls.