Crime Report: Suspects use fake IDs to lift laptops off UPS drivers before delivery
May 20
Burglary, other structure: 5100 block of Alta Canyada Drive. A man said he noticed on May 16 his white and black Ole surfboard was missing from a detached storage room outside his house. He told deputies the last time he’d seen it was sometime in early May.
May 22
Petty theft: 600 block of Foothill Boulevard. A store employee provided deputies with a written statement from a loss prevention officer stating that at around 9:36 a.m. the day before, a black adult female entered the store and selected seven pairs of new shoes, placing them in several bags she’d been carrying before leaving the store without paying.
Grand theft: 5700 block of Ocean View Boulevard. A woman told deputies she’d received a call on May 15 at around 6 p.m. from a male with a heavy foreign accent. The man said her computer had been hacked, and he needed to gain remote access to her computer to fix it. Having gained access, the man showed her the hacked information and said she needed to purchase Apple gift cards to pay for his service. The cards would eventually be reimbursed by Apple Care, the man said. The woman went to Ralphs and purchased five gift cards but was told by the man she’d have to get more as some could not be activated. She purchased five Google Play cards in an unspecified amount. The next day, she called Apple Care and was told the call was fraudulent. A representative said the scammer had likely used “ghosting” to trick her caller ID into showing a legitimate Apple phone number.
May 24
Grand theft, laptop: 600 block of Foothill Boulevard. A man said he received a notice from Dell indicating a Dell laptop he’d ordered had been delivered by UPS that day at around 11:10 a.m., though the package had not been received. A UPS representative said the driver had been parked in a nearby parking lot when an unknown person approached him with an identification card with the victim’s address on it. As it is UPS policy to hand over packages to people with the appropriate address, the driver gave the suspect the laptop. The representative said the driver was told by the suspect that he knew the victim’s mother and signed for the package.
May 25
Grand theft, laptop: 3700 block of Normandy Drive. A man said he’d purchased a Dell laptop on May 22 and received a notification on his cellphone that day at around 1:17 p.m. telling him the computer had been delivered, though there was nothing at his doorstep. His home surveillance camera showed a gray sedan driving by his home at around 12:22 p.m. and returning about seven minutes later. A male adult wearing a light green shirt and dark pants was seen exiting the vehicle and approaching the house talking on a cellphone before leaving. The victim called UPS and was told by a representative the driver had been approached by a male adult, who produced a California ID card with the victim’s personal information and address on it and asked if the driver had any packages for him. The driver produced the Dell laptop and gave it to the suspect in accordance with UPS policy. The driver recalled the man got into a dark-colored vehicle with no license plates and drove away.
May 27
Burglary, residence: 3700 block of Normandy Drive. A gardener was working on a client’s property at around 8:30 a.m. when he noticed a glass door of the neighbor’s mudroom was shattered and the home’s car gate was open, though the homeowner, also a client of his, was out of town. Deputies conducted a protective sweep of the property and noticed the master bedroom’s closet had been ransacked. Inside the closet, a cover leading to the attic had been removed, although the attic did not appear to have been disturbed. In a phone interview, the homeowner said she left for vacation in mid-April and would not be back until the end of the month.
Compiled by Sara Cardine
Twitter: @SaraCardine
