Crime Watch

A Whopping Fraud A 59-year-old Upper West Side resident found herself the victim of an unknown fraudster who swindled her out of tens of thousands of dollars. According to police, the mystery perp stole a check made out to the victim in the amount of $28,337.50. He or she opened a fraudulent Wells Fargo checking account in the victim's name and deposited the check there, then withdrew the entire amount in cash. The 20th Precinct has referred the case to the NYPD's Special Fraud Squad, and police suspect that this may be part of a criminal pattern. Grocery Store Grab A local man was shopping for food at a supermarket on Broadway last Thursday at 8:15 p.m. He had his $3,000 Sony laptop and official financial documents from the Royal Bank of Canada in his bag, which he placed in his shopping cart. He told police that he stepped away for a brief moment, and when he turned back, his bag and its contents were gone. The police are reviewing security camera footage from the store. Home Health Swindle A man reported a theft to police after Chase Bank called to alert him of suspicious activity on his checking account. The 92-year-old Upper West Side resident discovered someone had stolen four blank checks from him and two of them had been cashed. They were both made out to the man's home health aide, who works for a visiting nurse service and did not have permission to take or write the checks. Police are looking for the 30-year-old suspect, who has already gotten $2,000 from the forged checks. Missing Motorcycle A local woman parked her 2001 black Vespa scooter on the corner of Central Park West and West 83rd Street at around 11 p.m. last Sunday night. When she returned on Tuesday morning to move it for alternate side street cleaning, the $4,000 scooter had vanished. There are no witnesses or security footage of the area. Subway Chase Police apprehended two 36-year-old men last Friday night after an elaborate chase. The men had forcefully grabbed the pocketbook of a 26-year-old woman as she was exiting the 1 station at West 79th Street. Witnesses saw the men flee, then hide in Riverside Park. When police approached them, they fled again, leaving the purse behind-which was worth about $100-but they were both arrested shortly afterward. Homecoming Surprise A 24-year-old woman and her roommate were shocked to find their apartment burglarized after they had both been away for the weekend. The woman told police that she had been gone from Friday to Sunday, and when she came home to her West 81st Street second-floor apartment, she saw that someone had entered through the kitchen window, which had been closed but not locked. The perp made off with her $350 TV, a DVD player and a suitcase, as well as her roommate's entire stash of jewelry.