Crime Report: Car Stolen, Craiglist Scam and More

Purse stolen from car

A Novi woman parked her car in the lot on the night of Jan. 12 and discovered her purse missing the next day, according to police reports. The woman told Northville Township Police that she accidentally left the purse in her car. The following afternoon, her mother, who works at the school, called because the purse had been found. Missing from inside were a check card, credit card, her employee ID and a personal prescription.

In-dash GPS, tires stolen from SUV

A man on the 40000 block of Arbor Trail reported to police that on Jan. 14 someone broke his SUV window and stole his in-dash navigation unit. The man told police the car was locked and parked in his driveway overnight. He and his wife did not hear anyone breaking in, according to township police reports. The robber also made off with his tires, the man said.

 Vehicle stolen

Sometime between Jan. 14 and Jan. 16, a man reported that his vehicle was stolen from the 20000 block of Northville Place Drive. The owner reported that it was in a parking lot and that he had both keys. There was no broken glass around the spot at which it was parked, according to township police reports.

Craigslist scam

A man in the reported Monday being the victim of a Craigslist scam out of California. According to police chief Gary Goss, the man posted an ad to sell furniture.

The following is an account of what happened, according to Goss: A man from California responded to the ad, saying he was moving to the area and would send movers to pick up the furniture. He sent a money order to the Northville man for the furniture. When movers did not show up, the Northville man called the prospective buyer, who said the movers needed more money. He asked if he could send the Northville man another money order to wire payment to the movers. The man agreed. Soon after, the Northville man’s bank discovered that the money orders were fraudulent and he was stuck with the cost because he had already wired the money. He lost approximately $2,800.

“You have to be really, really careful. Hindsight is always 20/20,” Goss said. He recommends making deals face-to-face when using Craigslist and a secure method of payment like Paypal. Police are now working with law enforcement in California on the case.

Book bag stolen from car

A book bag was stolen from a car in lot four behind Northville Square on Saturday afternoon, Goss said. The alleged thief broke out the passenger window to get into the car, police said. The owner reported that there were only books in the bag. Goss said the best way to prevent such crimes is to keep valuables out of plain sight.