Darien Cops Search For Suspected Scammer

DARIEN, CT — The Darien Police Department is asking for the public's help in finding a suspect wanted in connection with an attempted credit card scam on Oak Park Avenue last week, according to Darien Police Detective James Palmieri.

The incident occurred on June 19 when officers were were called to the area on a report of a suspicious middle-aged white man who appeared to be loitering in the area.

"The male had been standing on the street for a couple of hours before the call was made," Palmieri stated. "Officers arrived on scene and made contact with the male. The male told officers he was waiting on a friend to give him a ride to Hartford, as he had been in town visiting relatives. As there were no grounds to detain him, he was allowed to leave the scene."

That encounter occurred at about 5:45 p.m. and roughly 45 minutes later, Darien police received a call from the same resident.

"The caller stated they had received an unexpected package from FedEx, containing a Capital One Credit Card," Palmieri stated. "The FedEx employee advised the homeowner that earlier in the day, around [10:30 a.m.], a male matching the description above flagged him down and attempted to take delivery of the package.

"The male told the driver he worked for the homeowner and was supposed to take delivery of the package. The driver did not turn the package over to the male. The FedEx driver stated the male was driving a silver sedan with Ontario, Canada plates."

According to Palmieri, the man may be a suspect in "an ongoing mail interception scheme." In recent months, Darien and other area communities have experienced mail thefts and scams.

"The individual, who identifies himself as 'Paul Doane,' has been observed in Darien on two occasions. Investigation into his potential criminal activity revealed he has been contacted by police in other jurisdictions within the state. We ask the public's assistance in reporting any sightings of the individual in the images we've provided. Camera footage shows him to be driving a sliver sedan with Canadian plates. We remind citizens to refrain from confronting or engaging the individual, and to notify the Darien Police as soon as possible. As this is an active investigation, no further information will be released at this time.

"We thank the public for their ongoing partnership in our efforts to keep Darien safe."