Phone Scammers Frighten Scarsdale Residents and more from the police

A rash of threatening phone calls frightened Scarsdale residents this week: On the morning of March 24 a Leatherstocking Lane man called police after he received a voicemail that said that he (the caller) should send money or his wife Amy would die in three years. The resident did not recognize the caller and his wife was not named Amy but he told police that the same person had contacted him before to ask him to represent her in a case involving a will and demanding that he send money. The resident does not practice estate law. Police called back the number and got a woman who refused to identify herself. However she then started yelling and said that she had been named in a will and that "Amy" needed to send a letter. She also said she was "treated unfairly by Westchester County Cops."

On Wheelock Road a woman received multiple call from someone who claimed to be holding her brother and instructed her to send them $1,000 to let him go. They said her brother had been in an accident and they took him to the projects where they were holding him there. She tried to ascertain whether or not they really had her brother but the caller identified him as "Ted in LA." She then called her brother and found that he was safe at home. The suspect called the Scarsdale woman six times and instructed her to go to Rite Aid and wire money. She went to the police and when the suspect called again, the police answered the phone. When they did, the caller said, "Who the f*** is this? Put her on the phone! And then hung up.

A caller posing as a representative from the IRS left messages on an answering machine at a home on Mamaroneck Road on 3/27 instructing the residents to call them back. When the resident called the number the person who answered claimed to be with the IRS in Washington DC and asked the Scarsdale woman for her personal information which she did not provide. Police then called the number and saw that the caller was located at a residence. Police told the caller that they were aware this was a scam, to which the caller replied, "The police will never find me."

On March 30, a Dobbs Terrace woman received a call from someone claiming to be Sergeant Cook who said he had a warrant for her arrest for failing to appear for jury duty. He instructed her to pay over the phone with a credit car to vacate the warrant. "Cook" said that if she failed to pay she would be picked up by law enforcement and held for 72 hours without bail. The residents hung up and called back the number. Cook provided an address for the Westchester County Sheriff's office and a website for the agency. The residents then went to the Scarsdale Police who called Westchester County Police who said the call was a scam.

Mark Lewis of Brewster Road sent Scarsdale10583 the following on Sunday March 30: "We got a call from somebody identifying himself as Sergeant Cook of the Westchester County Sheriff's Department Warrant Squad. He informed my wife that she had missed a Jury Duty summons and that she had to buy a Walgreens green pack (debit cards) and send it in or he would issue a warrant for her arrest. We informed him to issue the warrant. I called the Scarsdale Police Dept. and they said it was a scam and we were the eighth caller to complain about this. "

Reckless Driving: A 17 year-old boy who was reprimanded by the police for unsafe driving last week was given a summons for "unsafe movement of a stopped motor vehicle" after his 2009 BMW left two large burn marks at the intersection of Mamaroneck and Cushman Roads at 7 pm on 3/24. The burn marks were approximately 95 feet in length. A neighbor alerted police when she saw the boy driving recklessly on Cushman Road.

Police received a call about a 2014 Dodge Dart speeding on Murray Hill Road on the morning of March 26. The driver also crossed the yellow line into oncoming traffic. Police were able to track the listed owner who said that his son drives the car. Police then spoke at length with the son who admitted to speeding. Police warned him what could happen if he continues to drive recklessly.

Walking on the Bronx River Parkway: At 9:07 pm on March 30th police got a call about a woman walking in the northbound lane of the Bronx River Parkway. Police found the woman who explained that she had visited a friend on Oak Way and was walking to the train station. When police told her it was too dangerous to walk on the parkway she agreed to let them drive her to the station.

Intruder? A Montrose Road family heard a loud noise in front of their house while they were watching television at 8:30 on March 29. They looked out of the peephole of the front door but initially did not see anyone on the porch. Then someone in a green hooded sweatshirt came into view. The suspect then left the property and headed north on Montrose. Police canvassed the area but could not find the suspect.

Identity Thefts: A Walworth Avenue man got a call from Verizon on 3/25 telling him that someone tried to forward calls from his home phone number to a different number. He also got a call from Citibank that night telling him that someone tried to access his credit card account.

On 3/26 Canterbury Road residents reported that someone had attempted to withdraw $9,000 from their account at a bank branch in Hackettstown presenting fraudulent identification. The victim tried to get a copy of the surveillance video and the fraudulent id that was used but the bank refused to release it. Subsequently someone hacked the victim's cell phone number and transferred her calls to his phone. She learned that someone had placed a call forwarding option to intercept her calls. She was advised to cancel all her credit cards and also closed her bank accounts.

Windmill Lane residents reported that someone attempted to change the address on their Chase Bank Accounts on March 21. The bank intercepted the request but on 3/18 they were informed that someone had used their personal information to access their account online and attempted to change the account address. Online access to their accounts was frozen.

On 3/28 a Cohawney Road man reported that someone had opened a fraudulent bank account and credit card in his name at Ally Bank, using his name and address.

A Butler Road woman discovered that two fraudulent checks, together valued at $4,685 had been posted against her joint checking account at Chase Bank. One was posted on 3/20 and the other on 3/21. The bank put a freeze on the account and closed it.

Damage: A large tree branch fell on a car that belonged to someone who was working at 22 Murray Hill Road and broke the rear windshield on March 26.

Overloaded: Police stopped the driver of a large truck on the Post Road on March 28 because the truck appeared to be overloaded. Police instructed the driver of the truck to follow them to the sanitation yard where the truck was weighted and found to be 14,470 pounds above the weight limit of 44,800 pounds. The operator was issued summons for driving an overweight truck without a permit for excess weight.

Suspended License: Alfonso Cabrera, age 49 of New Rochelle was stopped on Weaver Street for illegally tinted windows on the night of 3/28 when police detected that the driver had three suspensions. The driver had an expired license and was taken to headquarters. He was booked and released on $100 bail and given a court date of 4/2.

Found: A silver wedding ring was found on Fenimore Road on March 29 and turned over to the police.

Kids: Police got a call about kids throwing branches off the footbridge that crosses the Heathcote Bypass on March 27. They found the boys there who explained that they were attempting to throw the branch into the woods but it landed on the roadway instead.

A brown Louis Vuitton wallet that belonged to a Bronx woman was found at DeCicco's on March 29th. The wallet contained 25 store credit, gift and rewards cards. Police were unable to contact the owner.

Lost: A Greenwich CT woman reported that she lost a white gold engagement ring with pave style diamonds surrounding a center stone at the Freightway Garage on March 18.

Homeless: A homeless man was found sleeping in the overpass above the Scarsdale train station at 10:50 pm on March 24. Police transported the man to the Oasis Shelter in New Rochelle to stay for the night. On the night of 3/29 the caretaker at Hitchcock Church reported that he found a man sleeping inside the church. By the time police arrived the man was gone. A few minutes later the same man was found sleeping at the Hartsdale Train Station. He said he checked out of the shelter due to a bed bug infestation and that he planned to stay with friends in White Plains. At 1:40 that afternoon, police got another call about the homeless man loitering in the train overpass and he was asked to leave.

Police gave out three tickets at pick-up time at Greenacres School on the afternoon of 3/26.

Animals: Cat in the road: A brown, black and white cat was hit by a car on Popham Road at 10:25 am on 3/28. Police arrived and removed the cat from the road. It did not have any id tags.

A small white dog was found on Cooper Road and brought to the police on the morning of 3/29. The owner of the dog came to headquarters to retrieve the dog. Police advised the owner to update the dog's tags to reflect his current address.

Dispute: A taxi passenger called 911 on Saturday night March 29 when the driver asked her for $60 for a ride from 125th Street in New York to Fox Meadow Road. The woman said she was told the fare would be $15. Police told the driver and the passenger that this was a civil matter. The passenger gave the driver $20 and they exchanged contact information.

Police got a call about a loud party on Fox Meadow Road at 1:30 am on March 30th. They went to the house where a 30th birthday party was in process. Residents agreed to lower the volume of the music.

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