Belmont Police Log: April 7-13: Beware of Contractor Scams and Check Fraud
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.
Friday, April 7
9:39 p.m.: A Broad Street resident reported 2016 Chevy broken into overnight. It was parked in the driveway and last used at 10:30 p.m. the night before. Someone broke into the vehicle and removed his daughter’s backpack which contained two MacBook laptops, valued at $1,200 each.
Saturday, April 8
7:29 p.m.: A Watson Road resident reported annoying phone calls they’ve been receiving for the last 30 minutes from an unknown number to both her and her son’s cell phone numbers. The person is leaving inappropriate, threatening messages. The number is 213-458-8678. Officers suggest they block the phone number and they were advised to call if the phone calls continue.
Sunday, April 9
9:29 a.m.: A Trapelo Road resident reported fraud. On April 6, he placed a check for $1,600 into the mailbox on Trapelo Road near Sycamore Street. A few days later he was made aware a Bank of America check was altered. The amount was changed to $6,823.57, payable to Bruce Perez. The check’s date was also changed to April 7. The note in the memo said, “construction costs.” Everything but his signature was altered. He was advised to mail any checks directly from the post office and to monitor his account for any further fraudulent activity.
12:55 p.m.: Criminal complaint issued against a Newton female for operating an uninsured motor vehicle.
4:30 p.m.: A Beckett Road resident reported larceny. She went to use her debit card on April 8 and it was declined for insufficient funds. She learned her Citizens Bank account was $47,000 in the negative. A transaction for $50,000 was made on April 7 which cleared, but she only had $3,000 in the account and was not sure how the transaction went through. She was not able to see where the charge was made but it appears it was a transfer into another account. Officers suggested she go to the bank in person to speak to someone regarding the fraudulent charge.
9:15 p.m.: Criminal complaint against a Woburn woman for malicious damage to a motor vehicle.
Monday, April 10
2:02 p.m.: A Payson Road resident reported a suspicious event. She was on the second floor of her home when she heard the doorbell ring numerous times. An unknown individual, a white male wearing a white t-shirt and blue jeans was speaking to her about how he was picking up lumber down the road and noticed her house needed work done to the roof and surrounding exterior. She told him it wasn’t the right time for renovating. He became aggressive with her. She told him to get off her property. He stayed on the porch for an additional two minutes before walking back to his truck and speeding off. It was a white pick-up with black lettering and the word, “masonry,” on the truck. There was another white male sitting in the truck.
2:49 p.m.: A Hanover woman reported some time within the past two weeks her 2015 Subaru was stolen from her place of work on Pleasant Street. She does not drive her personal vehicle often. The last time she saw it was two weeks ago. She keeps her keys on her desk at work. The keys are still there but her car is gone. The vehicle was entered into CJIS as stolen.
5:01 p.m.: A Belmont man operating a 2020 Ford crashed into a green U.S. postal mailbox on Grant Avenue. The operator said he must have nodded off and struck the mailbox. He recently came home from the hospital and the medication he is taking makes him drowsy. It has never affected his driving before. There was no noticeable damage to the vehicle. The post office said they would send a maintenance crew to assess the damage. The operator was advised to speak to his doctor about his medication causing drowsiness. A request for a medical evaluation was submitted to the Registry of Motor Vehicles.
5:21 p.m.: Collision in area of Pleasant Street and Frontage Road between a 2007 Honda operated by a Belmont woman and a 2015 Volvo operated by an Andover man. The operator of the Honda said she had a yellow light when she collided with the other vehicle as it came off the ramp. The operator of the Volvo said he was on the exit ramp from Route 2 and had a green light. He was turning left onto Pleasant Street when the Honda crashed into him. There was heavy front end damage to both vehicles. Both were towed from the scene. The operator of the Honda was issued a citation for failure to stop.
7:32 p.m.: Collision in area of 602 Trapelo Road between a 2023 Honda operated by a Watertown woman and a 2020 Toyota operated by a Waltham woman. The operator of the Honda said a Toyota made a U-turn directly in front of her as she was travelling on Trapelo Road. The operator of the Toyota said she was parked on Trapelo Road and was attempting to make a u-turn before striking the Honda. The Honda sustained heavy front end damage. The Toyota sustained heavy front left damage. Both vehicles were towed from the scene. The operator of the Toyota was issued a citation for failure to yield.
April 12
7:19 a.m.: A Belmont resident reported harassment which resulted in damage to their motor vehicle.
1:15 p.m.: A Cross Street resident reported fraud. He was having issues with his wi-fi possibly being compromised. A representative from Verizon came to his house and informed him the suspicious activity was not a Verizon issue. He currently has no wi-fi, however there has been suspicious incidences since March involving his wi-fi usage. He has contacted the FCC and Attorney General’s office and was informed he needed a police report to investigate the matter. His identifications and passwords for accounts have been compromised. Every time he creates a new id or password, they immediately get compromised again. He has also had issues with his cell phone which has made it unusable. He has now changed his wi-fi identification six times and each time it is hacked almost immediately. He has had text messages erased. He recently reached out to Experion to inform them of what was going on. He has contacted his bank and brokerage accounts to inform them of what is going on and to flag his accounts. He is unsure if they have been compromised.
3:56 p.m.: A Rutledge Road resident reported suspicious activity with her garage keypad. Over the last few weeks she has noticed the cover to her garage keypad is flipped open. She rarely uses it and makes sure it is closed when she goes into her home at night. On multiple occasions the cover is open in the morning. She is concerned someone is trying to get into her garage overnight.
April 13
8:04 a.m.: A Collision in the area of 29 Marion Road between a 2004 Toyota operated by a Connecticut man and a 2008 Toyota operated by a Marlboro man. The operator of the 2004 Toyota said a vehicle pulled out of a driveway and into the right side of his vehicle as he was travelling down Marion Road. When he got out of his vehicle, the driver denied hitting his car and would not roll down his window to talk to him. An argument ensued and to avoid escalation he drove away and called the police. There was damage to the whole right side of his vehicle. The operator of the 2008 Toyota returned to the scene and continued denying making contact with the other vehicle but there was obvious damage to the front left area of his vehicle consistent with the damage to the other Toyota. When officers showed him how the damage on both vehicles lined up, he finally agreed it must have been caused by his vehicle. He was issued a citation for failure to yield right of way.
10:04 a.m.: A Ross Road resident reported fraud. This morning while checking his credit score he noticed it dropped 50 points. He contacted Equifax and upon further investigation learned someone opened an account in his name in Lansing, Michigan. The account was with a home heating company called Consumer’s Energy. It was opened in September 2020 and closed in June 2021. It had an outstanding balance of $770. Equifax provided the name of the collection agency which he was able to contact and inform them the account was fraudulently opened. Neither the oil company or collection agency are holding him accountable for the balance. He was advised to contact all his financial institutions to make them aware of the situation and to contact the Social Security Administration and keep a close eye on his credit score.
11:46 a.m.: Collision in area of Park Avenue and Frontage Road between a 2010 Honda operated by a Lexington woman and a 2019 Tesla operated by a Belmont woman. There were injuries. There was airbag deployment and heavy damage to both vehicles. The operator of the Honda was complaining of chest and torso pain and pain to her left thumb. The operator of the Tesla was complaining of knee pain and had cuts and scrapes on her. The passenger of the Tesla had a serious injury to his right thumb and was transported to Mount Auburn Hospital. The operators of both vehicles were evaluated and refused further treatment. The operator of the Tesla said she had a green light and was traveling Northbound on Park Avenue when a vehicle traveling Southbound on Park Avenue turned left and crashed into her. The operator of the Honda said she was following her GPS which told her to turn left. She did not see the Tesla before crashing into it. The operator of the Honda was issued a citation for failure to yield to oncoming traffic.
1:04 p.m.: Officers assisted a Waltham woman with finding her phone that was lost at Beaverbrook dog park. She was tracking it and it came back to an address on Clark Street. Officers went to the residence and were able to retrieve the phone from a senior who due to a language barrier seems to have found the phone and wasn’t sure what to do with it. He was waiting for his daughter to come home and help him.
The Belmont Police responded to seven mental health calls and six domestic violence calls, including one that resulted in criminal charges for assault and battery and the other for criminal charges for violating a restraining order.