Thieves Steal Church's Silver Cruets Used For Holy Water: Northbrook Police Blotter

NORTHBROOK, IL — The following information comes from the Northbrook Police Department and court records as a record of incidents reported to police and those arrested on criminal charges, which represent accusations by the state that are often dropped or reduced. Updated information may be available from the Cook County Clerk of the Circuit Court. Everyone arrested is presumed to be innocent unless found guilty in court beyond a reasonable doubt.

INCIDENTS

PRIZE SCAM

An Aspen Road resident reported at 7 p.m. April 3, that he had received letters and emails regarding a contest he won and was awarded a prize. Even though he never entered to win any contest, the complainant contacted the name associated with the emails. That person convinced the complainant to send $22,600.00 in cash, $16,696.35 in gift cards and $2,550 with other smaller gift cards. He sent everything to a Florida address. The complainant also took out a loan to send money to the person as well. After not receiving any prize, the complainant then realized it was a scam.

THEFT OF SERVICES

The staff of a restaurant in the 600 block of Skokie Boulevard reported at 5:10 p.m. April 4, that a customer had requested to be seated and ordered $79.90 worth of food. After eating the food, the person fled without paying and was seen driving away in a grey sport utility car.

FACEBOOK SCAM

A Hawthorne Lane resident reported at 3:59 p.m. April 5, finding a posting on Facebook who she thought was an old friend. The person was selling a vehicle for $6,500. The complainant wanted to buy the vehicle and agreed to send $1,000 via Zelle as a down payment. After sending two payments of $500 to two different emails, she felt something was suspicious. She contacted her old friend through a different online forum and realized his account had been taken over and hacked. The complainant is working with the banks to get a refund.

ONLINE FRAUD

A Horizon Lane resident reported at 3:28 p.m. April 6, that someone had hacked into her American Airlines account and stole 48,580 points worth $485. The complainant didn’t know how the person had accessed her account or when it happened.

PHONE SCAM

A Techny Road resident reported at 11:50 a.m. April 7, receiving several phone calls from two people reporting to be with the Federal Trade Commission. They claimed she was a victim of identity theft, and she needed to move her investments into another account that they had access to. The complainant took the money out of her investment accounts but became suspicious of their requests. She never complied with their requests but was nervous about how they knew about her information. She contacted the Northbrook Police Department to seek assistance.

THEFT

The staff at a church in the 1800 block of Walters Avenue reported at 1:17 p.m. April 8, three people had walked in and asked for cash assistance. The church staff advised the three they didn’t have any cash to provide them with but would look into the matter to see what they could do. They then left the church office. The staff later noticed that the group had stolen the church’s crystal cruets containing their holy water that were on display. The theft was recorded on their surveillance system.

LAST WEEK'S BLOTTER: Water Tower Vandalized With 'No Kings' Message: Northbrook Police Blotter