Man Fakes Being Hit By Car, Scams Woman Out Of $200: Fairfield PD

FAIRFIELD, CT — A woman was scammed out of $200 when a man apparently faked being struck by her car while she was backing out of a parking space at Stop & Shop in Fairfield on Thursday evening, according to police. At about 5:35 p.m. on March 15, Fairfield Police responded to Stop & Shop, located at 1160 Kings Highway Cutoff, after a woman reported that she was scammed out of $200, according to Lt. Robert Kalamaras.

The woman told police that when she was backing out of a parking space, after making sure it was clear, she suddenly heard a loud thump at the back of her vehicle. After getting out to investigate, she saw a man holding his hand like he was in pain, according to Kalamaras. The man told her that she had backed into him as he was walking behind her vehicle and damaged his phone, which he was holding.

The woman suggested calling the police but the man convinced her to pay for his damaged phone and he would forget about being struck, according to Kalamaras.

“After giving him the money and leaving the area, she became suspicious to his behavior and drove back to the lot,” Kalamaras said. “She said it appeared the male suspect was looking for other patrons to scam.”

The suspect was described as a white or Hispanic male with long black hair in a ponytail and wearing a maroon and black track suit. The woman told police that it appeared he might be working with another person operating a gray compact sedan driving around the parking lot. Police were unable to locate the suspect when they arrived on the scene.

Anyone with information regarding the scam is asked to call the Fairfield Police Department at (203)254-4808, or Text-A-Tip to CRIMES (274637).

Police also offer the following tips on ways to avoid being scammed:

• Be alert to the fact that scams exist everywhere.
• Call the police if something seems suspicious.
• Ask people for their full name or identification.
• Be a good witness.
• Get identifying information (i.e.: license plates, name tags etc.).

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