ALLEN PARK
Vehicle stolen from Target parking lot
Police officers were dispatched to Target, 3100 Fairlane Drive, on a report of a stolen vehicle.
The loss prevention officer said that about 4:30 p.m. he was advised of a suspicious man in the parking lot trying to open car doors Nov. 20. When the LPO looked at security video from the cameras he observed the suspect enter a red Buick Regal that belonged to an employee. At the time, he confirmed who the vehicle belonged to and continued to look at the video.
According to the report, the suspect observed the employee’s work coat hanging on a cart in the seasonal isle unoccupied, then reached into the pocket and grabbed keys before exiting the store.
Once outside, the suspect used the keys to locate the vehicle and drive away in it.
Garage broken into; items reported missing
An Allen Park resident in the 170 block of O’Connor Avenue called police Nov. 21 after his garage was broken into.
He told police that he returned to the house about 3:45 p.m. and found the side door of the garage forced open. Boxes of white siding valued at $845 were stolen from the garage. Also taken was a green Greenlee tool box valued at $900.
The resident said the last day he was at the house and knew it was secure was Nov. 12. Police took photos at the scene and placed them on a SD card.
There was no suspect information or security cameras near the scene.
DEARBORN
Porch pirates disguised as food delivery workers steal packages
Surveillance cameras captured footage of two men, carrying red Door Dash food delivery bags as a subterfuge, stealing packages from a porch on Dec. 3 in the 3600 block of Eastham Road.
The victim said the thieves — two black males dressed in black clothing — approached her house carrying food delivery bags, and left with four Amazon boxes containing UGG boots, valued at $300, and two boxes containing $50 worth of Clorox bleach wipes. The thieves drove a black Chevy Malibu with silver door handles.
Woman is victim of identity theft at appliance store
A Southfield woman learned Dec. 7, from a collection agency, that an identity thief used her information to rent two televisions and a wall mount on Nov. 20 from ABC Warehouse, 15253 Michigan Avenue.
They were advised by ABC Warehouse personnel that the corporate offices had surveillance footage from the store, and that she should file a police report to initiate an investigation and clear the charges from her name.
DEARBORN HEIGHTS
Brick damages house window
Police responded to a house on North Gulley Dec. 1 on a report of a brick thrown through a window of the house.
The victim said she did not see the perpetrator or a vehicle. According to the report, the victim said she had ongoing issues with an individual who she got into a verbal argument with about 9:30 p.m. via telephone. She told police the individual said, “You ain’t seen nothing yet.”
Police observed footprints leading from the street, in front of the residence that went up the northern side of the front lawn to the northern most window. The window was shattered; broken glass was found outside and inside the house. Two pieces of brick from inside the house were collected, and the scene was photographed.
The first piece was found in the center of the living room floor and the second was found near the west wall underneath the mounted television. Since it was moved, police were unable to photograph it.
The report said it was unclear where the bricks came from, and the resident said she did not believe it was from her yard. Police advised the victim of the prosecution process after she said she wishes to purse prosecution if the perpetrators were identified.
There were no cameras at the victim’s house or in the area.
A neighbor living across the street contacted the victim saying she witnessed the incident. Police made contact with her and were told that a newer model blue minivan was seen driving slowly north on Gulley before stopping in front of the house.
The witness said she observed a man exit from the driver side rear sliding door. He then ran up to the porch of the house, hit the front door then broke the front glass window before running back into the minivan which fled north on Gulley then possibly east on Warren Avenue.
The man was described as black with a “skinny” build and wearing a black hoodie, hat and gloves.
Police contacted the victim again to see if the individual has attempted to contact her again, but the victim said she hadn’t been contacted.
The witness also spoke with police saying she would not be able to recognize the suspect in a photo lineup. Police closed the case, but can review it if additional information is obtained.
Woman defrauded out of $500
The victim of a fraud scam called police after she was contacted by an individual who claimed to be an FBI agent requesting money to resolve warrants.
Between 10 and 11 a.m. Nov. 30, the victim living on Simone in Dearborn Heights was on the phone with Blue Cross Blue Shield purchasing health insurance when she received another phone call from the Social Security Office using a 313 area code number stating there was an alert showing someone attempting to purchase health care using her SS number.
She was then referred to the individual claiming to be from the FBI. The victim was asked if she ever resided in Texas and if she ever owned a black Toyota Corolla or a white Lexus, which she said she hadn’t.
According to the report, she was asked if she ever wired large amounts of money to Mexico which she said she hadn’t as well. The victim was then advised that a black Corolla was found stolen and registered in her name in Texas and that it contained drugs and blood splattered throughout.
She was also told that she had 10 active warrants for her arrest and needed to take all the money out of her bank account to resolve the warrants.
When the victim said she was unable to do so, she was advised that she could resolve the warrants by purchasing a $500 Target gift card. The victim purchased the gift card using her debt card and then provided the fake FBI agent with the card and personal identification number.
She was then told her name was cleared. Following the call, the victim realized she was scammed and contacted the phone number on the back of the Target gift card where she spoke with a representative who told her she was scammed and $178 remained on the card. The remaining money was used the next day.
The victim advised her bank of the fraudulent activity and placed a freeze on her credit reports.
The victim told police she keeps receiving phone calls, which she was advised not to acknowledge or provide any further money.
The victim was advised that this type of scam is very common and will be difficult to prosecute due to the suspect or suspects being out of state or county.
LINCOLN PARK
Snow blower stolen
A garage door was damaged and a $300 snowblower stolen Oct. 21 in the 3000 block of Green Street.
The victim indicated that their Ring doorbell camera indicated a 3:48 a.m. unverified motion alert, but did not capture any footage of the thief.
The garage door was pried open, with heavy damage to the lower section of the door, for which it was estimated it would cost $500 to repair. No other items were stolen.
Woman tricked into providing online banking info to Marine poser
A man posing as a deployed Marine, whom a 28-year-old Lincoln Park woman befriended on the Plenty of Fish app, convinced her to supply her bank account numbers and passwords so he could use them to cash his military paychecks.
The woman soon discovered that the checks he deposited Oct. 21 were from the Ohio Office of Unemployment Insurance instead of the U.S. military. When she called the unemployment agency, they determined that the man’s unemployment claims were fraudulent.
The woman then conducted a reversed image search, and found multiple fake profiles on the Plenty of Fish app, using different names and the same photo.
She learned that he had transferred the funds from the fraudulently cashed checks from her accounts to a mobile cash app. She then changed all her bank account logins and passwords, and was advised to monitor her account for suspicious activity.
MELVINDALE
Stop sign and light pole downed by hit-and-run
A stop sign and street sign/light pole were struck the morning of Nov. 25 by an unknown vehicle, and were found lying partially in Oakwood Boulevard near Wood Street.
Vehicle tire tracks were found in the grass at the base of the damaged poles, and shattered glass was found nearby on Oakwood. The fire department evaluated the exposed wires, and contacted DTE for a repair.
Thwarted vehicle thief leaves knife inside cab
A would-be vehicle thief, who damaged the steering column of 2000 Chevy pickup Nov. 27, left behind a knife in the cab, which police officers took into evidence for fingerprinting.
The victim said the vehicle, which was parked in the 4200 block of Oakwood Boulevard, was unlocked. He said he has the only set of keys, and that no items were stolen from the vehicle.
There were no nearby surveillance cameras which might have captured footage of the would-be thief.
RIVERVIEW
Police assist in house fire
Police were dispatched to a house on Shenandoah Drive to assist the fire department on a possible house fire just after 10:15 a.m. Dec. 1. A responding sergeant extinguished the fire with a fire extinguisher that was inside his patrol vehicle.
He said the fire came from the washing machine in the basement.
The homeowner told police he was taking a shower, smelled smoke, began to cough and heard the smoke detector go off. According to the report, the homeowner got dressed and told his step-daughter to wait outside while he called 911 to inform them about the basement fire. They waited outside until police and firefighters arrived on the scene.
Firefighters were able to confirm the fire came from the washing machine. The fire was extinguished by the firefighters and they stated there was no damaged to the house, just the washing machine valued at $500.
SOUTHGATE
Recreation vehicle catalytic converter stolen
A 1999 Jamboree Cutaway Van recreational vehicle was relieved of its catalytic converter while it was in storage at Southgate RV Storage, 15351 Goddard Road, according to a Nov. 14 report initiated by the owner.
The victim said he has been storing his RV at the lot for 20 years, and this is the first time he has experienced a problem. There was no other damage to the RV, and no suspects.
Con artist tries to fleece victim with Amazon account breach scam
A con artist who reached her victim by phone the night of Nov. 11 told her that her Amazon account had been breached, and convinced her to let them remotely take control of her personal computer to resolve the problem.
The victim said the con artist then tried repeatedly to withdraw $4,000 from her bank account. She said she froze her debit card, but because it was night time, and she couldn’t contact her bank, she is unsure if any of the fraudulent transactions were successful.
She was given a police report number, and was told to file a fraud report with her financial institution and to carefully monitor her banking statements.
TRENTON
Man reports catalytic converter stolen
The owner of a motor home reported its catalytic converter stolen Nov. 21. Police spoke with the resident who said that between Sept. 12 and Nov. 20 the converter was taken.
The motor home was parked in the southeast corner of Parkview Storage Facility, 4000 W. Jefferson, at the time of the theft. A case number was provided to the resident.
Package stolen from resident’s house
A Trenton man told police officers Nov. 25 that his USPS package was missing. The package contained a necklace valued at $29 purchased from tacticalsupply.com.
According to the report, the resident placed the order for the necklace which was marked as delivered by the USPS Oct. 28.
The resident said he did not receive the package and needed a police report number to get his money back from the supplier. There was no suspect information.
WYANDOTTE
Baby Yoda victim of package theft
A package containing a toy Baby Yoda figure was part of a recent rash of package thefts reported Nov. 24 at an apartment complex in the 2000 block of Sixth Street.
The victim said the Baby Yoda toy, valued at $65, and another package containing stocking-stuffers, valued at $10, were missing following a confirmed delivery by the USPS.
The man reporting the loss said if packages do not fit into a mailbox, delivery personnel simple leave them outside, and said he has had multiple packages stolen from him since July.
Backyard fence dismantled to steal trailer with ATV
Several backyard fence sections were dismantled in the 600 block of Goddard Road Nov. 24, which facilitated the theft of a 6-foot-by-8-foot storage trailer, valued at $1,000, holding an all-terrain vehicle and child’s battery-powered car.
The ATV, a 2005 green and black Can-Am 4-wheeler, was valued at $4,000, and the battery-powered children’s car, valued at $350, was modeled after a black Mercedes.
There were no nearby surveillance cameras, and the resident said he did not hear any vehicle or other noise during the night.
(Compiled by Zeinab Najm and Sue Suchyta.)