Man Arrested On 26 Charges In Phone Scam: Wallingford Police

WALLINGFORD, CT — A Florida man faces 26 charges after being arrested in connection with a telephone impersonation scam in Wallingford, according to police.

Wallingford police received a complaint on March 12, 2025, from a victim who said she received a call from a person claiming to be from her local financial institution, notifying her of fraudulent charges on her account.

“The victim noted that her caller ID showed the name of her local bank,” police wrote in a news release. “The victim was instructed to provide personal identifying information to issue a new card. Shortly thereafter, she noticed several unauthorized charges to that account.”

Following an extensive investigation by the Wallingford Police Investigative Services Division, police said 31-year-old Errol Patton of Miami, Florida, was identified as the suspect and an arrest warrant was obtained.

Patton was arrested Feb. 17 and charged with the following 26 offenses:

• Third-degree telephone fraud
• Conspiracy to commit third-degree telephone fraud
• Third-degree telephone fraud
• Conspiracy to commit third-degree telephone fraud
• Second-degree identity theft (>60 years of age)
• Conspiracy to commit second-degree identity theft
• Third-degree identity theft
• Conspiracy to commit third-degree identity theft
• Third-degree larceny by ongoing scheme
• Conspiracy to commit third-degree larceny by ongoing scheme
• Payment card theft
• Conspiracy to commit payment card theft
• Illegal use of payment card >$500
• Conspiracy to commit illegal use of payment card >$500
• Receiving goods obtained by illegal use of payment card
• Conspiracy receiving goods obtained by illegal use of payment card
• Criminal impersonation
• Conspiracy to commit criminal impersonation
• Payment card theft
• Conspiracy to commit payment card theft
• Illegal use of payment card >$5OO
• Conspiracy illegal use of payment card >$500
• Receiving goods obtained by illegal use of payment card
• Conspiracy receiving goods obtained by illegal use of payment card
• Criminal impersonation
• Conspiracy to commit criminal impersonation

Patton was released after posting a $175,000 bond with a court date of March 5.

Police said Patton was also charged as a fugitive from justice and held on a fully extraditable warrant out of Cherokee County, Georgia with a $1 million bond.