$30K Lost To Fake FTC Agent: Northbrook Police Blotter

NORTHBROOK, IL — A resident handed over $30,000 after someone posing as a Federal Trade Commission agent threatened her with arrest, according to the Northbrook Police Department's latest weekly report.

The report also included stolen designer shoes, vehicle burglaries, identity theft and an Acura recovered in Chicago.

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Please remember that although a person may be charged with a crime, a charge is merely an accusation, and the person is innocent until proven guilty.

PHONE SCAM

A resident of the 500 block of Banyan Drive reported a $30,000 scam at 12:58 p.m. Oct. 8.

She received a text message appearing to come from Apple support that claimed a large charge had been made to her account. The message directed her to call a number to dispute it.

After calling, she was transferred to someone posing as a Federal Trade Commission agent who threatened her with arrest unless she provided $30,000. She withdrew the money from her bank, and a man came to her home to collect it. She later realized it was a scam and reported it to police.

IDENTITY THEFT

A resident of the 900 block of Spring Hill Drive reported at 1:31 p.m. Oct. 2, that someone used his personal information to open an unauthorized cable television account. He discovered the fraud after receiving a $718.68 bill from Xfinity for past-due service.

A resident of the 4100 block of Bristol Court reported at 2:04 p.m. Oct. 5, that someone used his wife's personal information to open unauthorized accounts with Jared Jewelers and Zales. The Jared account had accumulated $6,500 in debt. He contacted the credit bureaus and businesses to report the fraud.

WARRANT SERVICE

Muhsin M. Okmen, of Chicago, was arrested at 3:31 p.m. Oct. 2, in the 800 block of Willow Road.

Officers received information that Okmen had an active Lake County warrant and was at a Northbrook grocery store. They found him in the parking lot and took him into custody on the warrant for violating an order of protection. He was transported to the Lake County Jail to await court.

HIT-AND-RUN, REVOKED LICENSE

Joseph Peddle, of Highland Park, was charged following a parking lot crash reported at 5:33 p.m. Oct. 2, in the 200 block of Skokie Boulevard.

The other driver identified Peddle and provided his license plate after reporting that he left the scene. An officer went to Peddle's Highland Park home and found him in the driveway next to his vehicle.

Peddle was charged with leaving the scene of an accident, driving with a revoked license and operating an uninsured motor vehicle. His court date was set for Nov. 9.

BURGLARY TO VEHICLE

A resident of the 2100 block of Mayapple Lane reported at 10:26 a.m. Oct. 3, that someone rummaged through his unlocked 2016 Toyota overnight and stole approximately $3 in change. The vehicle had been parked in his driveway.

A resident of the 2100 block of Valencia Drive reported at 8:53 a.m. Oct. 7, that someone broke the sunroof of his 2019 Lexus and rummaged through the interior. He did not believe anything was stolen.

A resident of the 1800 block of Milton Avenue reported at 9:42 a.m. Oct. 7, that someone broke the driver's side window of his 2021 Porsche and rummaged through its contents. He did not believe anything was stolen.

THEFT

A shopper reported at 10:44 a.m. Oct. 5, that her wallet was stolen while she was checking out at a grocery store in the 800 block of Willow Road on Oct. 2.

She placed the wallet on the bagging counter while handing the clerk her credit card. When she went to retrieve it, it was gone. She later received notifications that cards from the wallet were being used for high-end purchases at Nordstrom in Skokie. She canceled the cards.

MAIL THEFT

A resident of the 400 block of Laburnum Drive reported at 5:18 p.m. Oct. 5, that a greeting card mailed by a family member arrived opened and missing a $100 gift card.

RETAIL THEFT

Employees at a grocery store in the 700 block of Skokie Boulevard reported at 8:33 p.m. Oct. 5, that a man placed several bottles of alcohol and three bags of pretzels in a backpack, then left through a rear receiving door without paying. The reported loss exceeded $585.

Employees at a clothing store in the 1400 block of Lake Cook Road reported at 1:33 p.m. Oct. 6, that a man took Christian Louboutin high-heel sandals valued at $1,145 and left without paying.

ASSAULT

A woman walking her dog near Western and Maple avenues reported at 1:06 p.m. Oct. 6, that occupants of an older black SUV yelled and cursed at her before pointing a black plastic squirt gun at her and spraying her with water. She did not know the occupants, who then fled.

CRIMINAL DAMAGE TO PROPERTY

Matthew A. Cook, of Winnetka, was charged with criminal damage to property following an incident reported at 7:14 p.m. Oct. 6, at a hotel in the 1100 block of Willow Road.

Hotel employees reported that Cook urinated on the lobby floor and left urine on a lobby chair. An officer found him sleeping in the chair and woke him after several attempts. His court date was set for Nov. 17.

DEATH INVESTIGATION

Police and firefighters responded at 7:55 a.m. Oct. 7, to an assisted living facility in the 200 block of Skokie Boulevard after a patient stopped breathing. The report attributed the death to natural causes.

STOLEN AUTO

A resident of the 2500 block of Salceda Drive reported at 7:56 a.m. Oct. 7, that her white 2020 Acura was stolen from her driveway overnight.

She still had the key fobs but did not know whether the vehicle had been left unlocked. Officers found it unoccupied in the 7000 block of North Bell Avenue in Chicago.

LAST TIME: Driver Displays Gun During Road Rage Incident: Northbrook Police Blotter