Fairview Park Police Blotter: Gift Card Scam

March 30, 2021 Fraud Marleen Drive 1238hrs

A 60- year old Fairview Park resident came to the police station to report she had received two packages containing five checks for $1,000 each and was requested by the sender to buy multiple gift cards after she had cashed checks at her bank. She received documentation telling her she was selected by Shoppers INC., as a secret shopper to make sure businesses complied with how many gift cards they were selling to one person at a time. The documents came in thepackage containing the first three $1,000 checks. She spoke to a representative of the company who had a foreign accent. Two more $1,000 checks arrived in a separate package. She cashed the checks at two area banks. Bank tellers told the victim the check's appeared to be legitimate and she cashed them. Once all the checks were cashed she went to Target and purchased multiple Nike gift cards in the amounts of $500 each. She was asked to use her own cash to buy the gift cards. It appeared she did this before the checks were bounced by the bank. She was instructed to scratch off the numbers on the back of each gift card and send photographs of the numbers to the company who sent the checks. She was later contacted by her bank advising her the checks had bounced. This occurred after she had bought and sent the gift card numbers. Officers are still investigating.

April 2, 2021 Criminal Damage 20100 Lorain Road 1508hrs

Officers were dispatchedthe Fairview Village Apartments a criminal damaging. Building management had reported a group of juveniles in the lobby area of the building had broken a window. The juveniles appeared in the vestibule area waiting for someone to open the main lobby doors to let them in the building. A resident came into the vestibule and entered the building by putting in her access code. She closed the door behind her. Once the woman closed the door behind her a male juvenile wearing all black is seen kicked the lower half of the glass door. The glass cracked and the juveniles quickly left. Acting on a tip officers found the group in another apartment complex nearby. They identified the twelve-year-old boy who was responsible for the damage

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