Belmont Police Log, Aug. 12-19: Assault in Star Market parking lot, Venmo fraud, Facebook Marketplace fraud, bicycle stolen, check stolen from mailbox and altered 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. 

Monday, Aug. 12

1:15 p.m.: An Oakley Road resident reported a scam. On Aug. 7, she received an email appearing to be from Venmo, stating her account was compromised and there was a fraudulent charge of $78.99 pending. A phone number for Venmo customer service listed on the email was 1-888-313-0758. She called the number and spoke with a male party named Renato. He informed her that although the account was compromised, the technical support staff could fix the problem if she purchased $2,500 in Apple gift cards. She purchased them at the local CVS and supermarket using her Chase Visa credit card. She then called the number back, gave them the numbers on the gift cards and was instructed to communicate with a supervisor who convinced her to purchase another $3,500 in Apple gift cards. She withdrew $3,500 and purchased more Apple gift cards. She gave the numbers for the additional cards then realized she was scammed. Her credit card company is working on reimbursing her for the $2,500 purchases and freezing her account. 

2:15 p.m.: An Arlington man and a Watertown man reported a larceny from their mother, a Belmont resident. Their mother passed away on Aug. 6 and they have noticed things from her home are missing. They are not sure when the items went missing. They were last seen one year ago. After she passed away, they locked all the doors and windows of the home to keep it secure. Their father’s gold watch, gold wedding band and class ring were missing from the home. Ivory and jade figurines the mother collected also appeared to be missing. The safe in the home was also open and empty and they are unsure if it was left unlocked. The total value of the lost property ranges between $10,000 and $20,000. It’s possible the items went missing prior to their mother’s death. The only people with regular access to the home are them and the cleaning company working for their mother for the past 10 years. They do not believe their mother gave the belongings away. Detectives are investigating.

Tuesday, Aug. 13

10:35 a.m.: This morning a Belmont man logged into his iMac desktop to watch videos of World War II. Moments after logging in, a pornographic website popped up. He immediately closed it. He then got another alert telling him his computer was hacked and to call a number. He called the number and a man answered claiming to work for Apple and Microsoft. The scammer said his computer was being used to illegally download child pornography and they could fix the problem. They asked for his credit card information so they could fix the problem. He refused and said he would take his computer to the Apple store in Cambridge. He was told the store would not be able to help and they were his only option to fix it. He refused and hung up the phone. He has not suffered any losses but will inform all of his banks and credit card companies and will have his computer checked at an Apple store.

10:54 a.m.: An Oakley Road resident reported on Saturday, Aug. 3, she made a purchase at 11:30 a.m. at Blackbird Doughnuts in Newton. She paid with her debit card and then she accidentally left it on the counter. About 30 minutes later, she realized she forgot it and drove back to the store. She repeatedly called to inform the store but they did not answer because they were busy. When she got to the shop she informed the sales person who she made the purchase from and they said they have not seen the card. She called Cambridge Savings Bank to put a freeze on the card. She looked online and found a fraudulent charge for $1,202.63 at ALO Yoga located on Boylston Street in Chestnut Hill. Cambridge Savings Bank is attempting to reverse the charge and get the money back. They canceled her card and will issue her a new one.

11:42 a.m.: Assault reported on Pleasant Street. A Belmont man said he was approached by a young, Hispanic male with dark, curly hair, about 5-feet-8-inches, about 180 pounds, wearing a blue t-shirt and black shorts in the Star Market parking lot. The man asked him to purchase marijuana for him at the nearby dispensary. The reporting party refused and the man kicked him and left. Officers searched the area but were unable to locate him. He said he wasn’t hurt but wanted the incident documented.

Wednesday, Aug. 14

8:19 a.m.: Three car collision at the intersection of Pleasant and Lake Streets between a 2016 Honda operated by a Framingham woman, a 2022 Toyota operated by a Waltham man and a 2024 Honda operated by a Malden man. The driver of the 2024 Honda was complaining of pain in his left leg. He was trapped inside the driver’s seat area. Belmont Fire and Rescue also responded. They had to cut the door away. He was transported to the hospital. The operator of the Toyota was coming off the access road on Route 2 when the car in front of him stopped before entering Pleasant Street. In an attempt to avoid striking the small car, he tried to swerve around it, but clipped the rear and entered into the Southbound lane of Pleasant Street, hit the gas instead of the brake and went into the Northbound lane and collided with 2024 Honda. A passenger in the backseat of the 2024 Honda was uninjured and not sure what happened because she was looking down at her phone. After the crash, she only saw the airbags which deployed. The operator of the 2016 Honda said she traveled on Route 2 and stopped at the intersection of Pleasant Street. Her vehicle was struck from behind by a black car that went around her and onto Pleasant Street. The 2024 Honda and the Toyota were towed from the scene. The operator of the Toyota was issued a citation for failure to yield. 

4:41 p.m.: Hit and run collision in area of Bright Road and Concord Avenue between a 2021 Ford operated by a Belmont man and a 2015 Dodge operated by a Brighton man. The operator of the Ford said he was stopped at the stop sign when he was rear-ended by a Dodge operated by a black male. He attempted to follow the vehicle which had no plate and heavy front end damage. Officers later observed a blue Dodge charger with heavy front end damage behind them. They pulled the vehicle over and asked him if he was involved in a crash and he said he was. They asked if he was physically ok. He said he was. They asked why he didn’t stop and he said he was nervous about the car. Officers informed him he must stop if he is involved in an accident and assisted in the paper exchange between the two operators. The operator of the Dodge was issued a citation for failure to yield at an intersection. 

Thursday, Aug. 15

3:06 p.m.: A Roxbury man reported an issue with a rental. He is currently looking to rent an apartment. He found one on Facebook Marketplace listed by Elizabeth Regalado on Unity Avenue in Belmont for $1,400 a month. He inquired and was put in contact with Jose Delgado on What’s App. He required a fee of $159 to show the apartment. He sent the $159 to Ruth Definley via Zell. Delgado then put him in contact with a lawyer for the property, David Levine. Levine and the Roxbury man exchanged texts regarding a seal and stamp fee for $500 and a deposit of $754 for the apartment.  He sent three payments via Zell to Hilda Luna, one for $377, second one for $377.50 and a third one for $500 The total amount he sent to both parties was $1,413.50. He thought he secured the apartment and made an appointment to view it with David Levine. However, this appointment was on Aug. 13 at 5 p.m. Levine did not show up. He sent him a photo of a vehicle in an accident, claiming he could not show up for the appointment. Shortly after, Delgado and Levine blocked his number to prevent him from communicating with them again. The apartment is still on Facebook marketplace.

5:48 p.m.: Three car collision in area of Pleasant Street and Trapelo Road between a 2007 Toyota operated by a Cambridge woman and a 2013 Nissan operated by a Newton man and a 2014 Honda operated by a Belmont woman. The operator of the Toyota was uninjured, said she was traveling on Trapelo Road when she slipped on the wet surface as she tried to stop and crashed into the vehicle in front of her. The operator of the Nissan was stopped in traffic when he was struck from behind, causing his vehicle to strike the person in front of him. The operator of the Honda was stopped in traffic when her vehicle was struck from behind. There did not appear to be any damage to her vehicle. The Toyota was towed from the scene. The operator of the Toyota was issued a citation for following too close.

7:26 p.m.: A Waltham woman replied to a Facebook marketplace posting for an apartment on Unity Avenue and discovered it was a scam. She also spoke to Jose Delgado and was put in contact with a lawyer and another person, Julio Portilla in What’s App. The unknown lawyer deleted the conversation. She made three Zell payments to Wilfred Cabrera for the amounts of $159, $500 and $641 (totaling $1,300). While on scene, the victim called Portilla who was expecting another $500. The police advised her not to send any more money. She was also advised to flag the Facebook marketplace posting as fraudulent.

Saturday, Aug. 17

10:35 a.m.: A Francis Street resident reported attempted fraud. She was trying to sell an Ikea desk. A man named David Mike responded. They began texting to arrange the pick up of the desk. He said he would send her a check, which was for $800 and not $80,which they agreed on. She attempted to deposit the check and was informed it was fraudulent. She was also informed by David that she would need to get a postal money order to send the remaining $720 back to an address in New York. She grew suspicious and stopped communications and called the police. She was advised not to communicate with him.

3:53 p.m.: A Trapelo Road resident reported fraud. She got a bill from a collection agency, Coradius. They were attempting to collect a debt for Paypal for $317.81. She informed officers she hadn’t used Paypal in years and doesn’t owe anyone money. She attempted to call Paypal and was unable to reach anyone. She spoke to a collection agency who said they would send her claim to Paypal. She will also call the Attorney General to report the incident. She was also advised to run a credit report to make sure there were no accounts in her name.

8:33 p.m.: A White Street resident reported his son’s bicycle was stolen. He discovered the footage on his Ring camera. Three cars drove by and stopped in the middle of the street. He did not recognize the vehicles. One was a late 90s white Toyota Corolla, the third was a dark-colored Honda Pilot, 2017-2022. Moments after, two young men walked into his backyard and returned holding his son’s bicycle, a red Cannondale 24-inch valued at $500.

Sunday, Aug. 18

12:29 p.m.: A Pleasant Street resident reported a larceny. He owns a business and placed a business check in the mailbox on the corner of Pleasant and Brighton Street. Today, he noticed the check was cashed for $17,259.27 on Aug. 2 at Citizens’ Bank in Central Square, Cambridge, made out for Alpha Kamara. He notified Citizens’ Bank of the theft. The bank will be investigating.

1:07 p.m.: A Dunbarton Road resident reported one of his checks was altered between July 21 and July 31. It was a Cambridge Savings Bank check in the amount of $50 for Belmont Citizens Forum. The name was changed to Catherine Aaeyo and the amount was changed to $50,000. He does not recall what mailbox he used to mail the check. He discovered there was $50,000 missing from his account.

Monday, Aug. 19

4:52 p.m.: Collision betwee a 2024 Land Rover operated by a Winthrop man and a 2022 Volvo operated by a Belmont man at the intersection of Common and Washington Streets. The Volvo stopped to let a pedestrian go by. There were no injuries. The Volvo was towed. The operator of the Land Rover was issued a citation for failure to use safet

Between Aug. 12 and Aug. 19, Belmont Police responded to five domestic violence calls and 11 mental health calls.