Elderly Man Victim Of $9,000 Fraud In Westlake

WESTLAKE, OH - Fraud scams overwhelmingly impact the elderly. For whatever reason, older folks make for prime targets of different scams. There was another example this week in Westlake. Read on for more details.

Suspicion, Feb. 20 - Prowlers, no prowling. A Bradley Road man found a prowler going through his garage at 12:30 a.m. The resident chased the man out of the garage and the suspect fled empty-handed. The resident called Westlake Police at 8:16 a.m.

Fraud, Feb. 20 - A Detroit Road store became alarmed when an 87-year-old Avon man repeatedly came in and bough a load of iTunes gift cards. Staff at the store was concerned and contacted police. Officers contacted the man's family and the group discovered the man had purchased nearly $9,000 in gift cards over the course of a week. He had been contacted by scammers and they were getting the card numbers from him and promising they'd help buy him a new computer. Avon Police are now handling the investigation.

Theft, Feb. 21 - Three laptops, cash, and credit cards were stolen from a University Heights' man 2009 Nissan Altima. The car was parked in a Vine Street garage. The total loss is estimated $2,470.

Shoplifting, Feb. 21 - Employees at a Market Street store flagged down officers after a woman suspected of shoplifting left their store and ducked into another outlet. She was detained in the other store. The woman had removed theft sensors from items in the first location but did not take anything from the store. She also took nothing from the second store. In her car, officers found items worth $324 which had been stolen from a third retailer. She was arrested for receiving stolen property.

Medical Emergency, Feb. 21 - A medical alert was received from a Crimson Drive home. When emergency personnel arrived the home was dark and no one answered the door. A window was forced open and police and firefighters found an 89-year-old on the floor with a hip injury. She was transported to Avon Hospital.

Shoplifting, Feb. 22 - A pair of teenage shoplifters from Cleveland were caught after they stole $75 worth of property from a Market Street store. One of the teenagers was 16, the other 18. The juvenile was arrested for receiving stolen property and cited for giving a false identity. The 18-year-old was charged with Mistaken Identity. A 20-year-old female relative who was for them in a car was also cited.

Fraud, Feb. 22 - A Clemens Road business received suspicious emails from someone wanting to buy $3,600 worth of items. They emails asked for the items to be shipped to Texas. The purchaser gave a Westlake address but the name given did not match the credit card account. The order was not processed and the fraud was reported Feb. 22.

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