The following are incidents selected from the Lexington Police Department logs during the week before January 8, 2024. The Lexington Observer does not independently verify this information.
Community Engagement
Friday, January 5 at 11:00 a.m., Captain Barry participated in the weekly Zoom meeting for the Emergency Assistance Shelters.
Friday, January 5 at 4:40 p.m., two detectives assisted Massachusetts State Police, Boston PD, and the State Department with Make-a-Wish Foundation of America. Make-a-Wish Foundation is a nonprofit organization that supports children who have critical illnesses. A child from Lexington was selected by the foundation to be escorted to Boston to meet a congresswoman, who announced her wish was being granted.
Larceny
Tuesday, January 2 at 5:15 p.m., a Care One administrator reported one resident was missing $280.00. The responding officer met with this resident who explained he carries $348 in cash in his front pocket. He checks the money every morning to ensure it is still there. He stated that when he checked today, he only had $68 in his possession. The administrator has been informed of this case and has filed a report with the state. He plans to review camera footage and obtain a list of nurses who have been in contact with this resident in the last 24 hours. The officer filed an Elder Protective Services report.
Dispute: General Argument
Friday, January 5 at 4:20 p.m., an officer was approached by drivers of two vehicles with an apparent road rage incident directly outside the Countryside Bible Chapel. Another officer and a Sergeant assisted with this altercation. The initial officer stated it was a verbal encounter. Officers were able to mediate the situation and both motor vehicle operators left peacefully.
Animal Control
Tuesday, January 2 at 1:15 p.m., a report came in regarding a sick coyote near Summer St. The responding officer reported that the animal was gone on arrival. Perhaps this coyote was simply playing possum…
(This first week of 2024 was a good week for pets and their owners in Lexington… not one report regarding off-leash incidents, excessive barking, or disgruntled neighbors).
Uttering, Swindling, and various other Fraud
Tuesday, January 2 at 7:10 p.m., a Shade St. resident reported fraudulent activity on her American Airlines account. She stated on December 15, she received notifications informing her that her American Airlines account information and password had been changed. She spoke to American Airlines customer service and stated her account was fraudulently altered. She stated she noticed that on December 20, Kumar Sushil used 20,000 points, which is equivalent to $590, that belonged to this resident’s account, to book a flight to India. She stated she hadn’t used these points. American Airlines informed this resident that she needed to document this incident with the Police Department to have her points reimbursed.
Friday, January 5 at 10:20 p.m., a Ponybrook Lane resident reported he had deposited 2 checks on January 1 at the USPS mailbox located at 442 Marrett Road. Yesterday, the bank manager of Citizens Bank in Norwood contacted him, and she stated someone was trying to cash a check he had written. Norwood Police Department responded and arrested the individual attempting to cash this residence check.
Friday, January 5 at 11:05 a.m., a Preston Rd. resident reported being the victim of check fraud. The total amount of his loss was $2,800.
Friday, January 5 at 1:40 p.m., a Lincoln St. resident reported he deposited 30 checks in the USPS mailbox at Marrett Rd. and Lincoln St. He stated he received a phone call from Citizens Bank that one of his checks was washed and deposited at a St. Mary’s Credit Union. This resident lost $7,432.01. The responding officer contacted St. Mary’s Credit Union and contacted their fraud department. They have surveillance of the incident and will forward the footage from the ATM where the check was deposited.
Friday, January 5 at 1:50 p.m., a Sylvia Road resident came into the station asking to speak with an officer regarding investment fraud.
Friday, January 5 at 2:00 p.m., an Angier Rd. resident reported she received a letter from the Massachusetts Unemployment Department regarding an unemployment claim. She had not applied for benefits. An unknown person had utilized her personal information in an attempt to collect such funds. This is part of a scam that continues to be active in numerous states including Massachusetts. She was advised to visit the mass.gov website to fill out their fraud form regarding this scam. The Unemployment Department of Massachusetts Fraud Department will manage this case.
Friday, January 5 at 2:15 p.m., a Bryant Rd. couple came into the station asking to speak with an officer regarding a check-washing scam. The responding officer reported that these residents discovered one of their Citizen’s Bank personal checks was washed and cashed for $4965.01. The check was altered and made payable to Jahmel M. Evans. These residents mailed the check around September 23. The original amount was $42.40 payable to blue Medicare RX. These residents have notified the Citizens Bank fraud department which has flagged the account.
From AARP Fraud Watch – December 2023
6 Top Scams to Watch Out for in 2024 By Patrick J Kiger
“Criminals are getting more sophisticated and supercharging old scams with new technology.”
2. Voiceprint Scams
“Thanks to technological advances, it’s possible for thieves to capture a recording of your voice and then use a software program to generate an imitation “deepfake” version that can be used to impersonate you. “That voiceprint can be used to access your insurance or your financial institution or apply for a driver’s license,” Bruemmer says. The New York Times reported on a recent case in which a representative at a major bank received a call from a deepfake copy of a Florida investor’s voice, requesting that the bank move the man’s money elsewhere. Fortunately, the fraud attempt was spotted by the bank before the real investor lost his savings.
How to stay safe: To prevent your voice from being duplicated, “don’t answer the phone,” Bruemmer advises. “If someone needs to get hold of you, they can text you.” Bruemmer even is cautious about answering calls that appear to be from people on his contact list, since the call could be coming from a phone that’s been stolen or had its SIM card cloned, he says.”
The Lexington Police Department updates its call log on Monday mornings. LexObserver coverage is a sampling of incidents and is not an exhaustive list. Logs are available for public viewing.