Police Blotter: Hinsdale Man Loses $4,500 to Phone Scam

SUNDAY, AUG. 12

Snake Stolen from Home

A known suspect entered an unlocked home in the 500 block of Mills Street at 3 a.m. and stole a $450 pet snake, police said.

The suspect is a former boyfriend of a resident of the home, police said. He has not yet been charged.

SATURDAY, AUG. 11

Underage Drinking

Kevin J. Workman, 19, of the 1200 block of Lake Shore Drive, Lisle, was charged with unlawful use of alcohol after police said they stopped his vehicle for speeding. Police said he was under the influence of alcohol and submitted to a breath test that indicated his blood-alcohol content was greater than .00, but less than .08.

Workman did not have a valid driver's license, police said. He was charged with unlawful use of alcohol by a person under 21, speeding and driving without a valid license. He was released to appear in court.

FRIDAY, AUG. 10

Man, 73, Victim of Fraud

A resident from the 600 block of North Washington Street lost $4,500 in a scam purported by someone who police said posed as a representative of Publisher’s Clearing House during a series of phone calls between 11 a.m. Aug. 6 and 7 p.m. Aug. 10.

The caller told the 73-year-old male victim that he needed to purchase several prepaid Wal-Mart gift cards worth a total of $4,500 and provide the serial numbers to the offender, police said. The offender then used the numbers to to spend the prepaid money from the cards.

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Police said the preliminary investigation has showed that the offender was calling from outside the U.S.

, and provided residents with tips to avoid being victimized.

Credit Card Stolen

A customer at Shell Food Mart, 210 E. Ogden Ave., had a credit card stolen by an unknown person when the customer set the card down to fill a cup of coffee between 6 a.m. and 6:20 a.m.

THURSDAY, AUG. 9

Bike Stolen

An unknown person stole a $500 bicycle that was parked outside of Cosi Restaurant, 25 E. Hinsdale Ave., between 4 p.m. July 30 and 8 a.m. July 31.

The victim reported the incident on Aug. 9.

WEDNESDAY, AUG. 8

Attempted Identity Theft

A resident from the 700 block of South Bruner Street reported to police that an unknown person unsuccessfully attempted to use the resident’s identity to withdraw $6,500 from the resident’s bank account between 3:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. Aug. 8.

The bank teller noticed the suspect was acting suspiciously and did not process the transaction. No money loss was suffered.

TUESDAY, AUG. 7

Fraudulent Cable Account Opened

A resident from the 10 block of South Bruner Street reported to police that an unknown person opened a cable TV account in February using the resident’s identity information and ran up $770 worth of charges.

Gas Stolen

An unknown woman driving a Ford Explorer pumped $84.90 worth of gas at Shell and left without paying at 3:56 p.m.

Police Blotter information is provided by local law enforcement agencies, including the . Charges are not evidence of guilt. They are a record of police actions taken on a given day, and persons charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court. If you or a family member are charged or cited and the case is subsequently adjudicated, we encourage you to notify the editor by emailing joe.odonnell@patch.com. We will verify and report the outcome.