CRIME WATCH ALERT: October 25, 2020
The Crafton Police Department took a report on 10-22-20 of a phone call scam in which a Thornburg resident received a call from a male who identified himself as “Marcus Williams” with “Amazon Support.” He asked the resident if he had made a $349 purchase and the resident advised that he did not. The caller then requested that the resident sign onto his computer and load a program. The resident then realized that the caller was manipulating his computer and changing passwords. This was a SCAM. Please do not ever log into anything (phone, computer, tablet etc.) and load a program when you do not know who the caller is for certain. Legitimate companies do NOT operate in this manner. Do NOT give any information to include personal demographic information, account names and/or passwords to anyone over the phone or internet that contacts you. If you need assistance from a company for whatever reason, contact their customer service and/or support service and they will walk you through what to do.
Crafton was hit with another round of thefts from vehicles and 1 vehicle was stolen through the night of 10-22-20 through 10-23-20. All reports indicate that the vehicles were left unlocked. Loose change was taken from several vehicles. The stolen vehicle contained a much larger sum of money and had the keys in the vehicle. Please lock your vehicles every time even if they are in your driveway. There is a lot of this type of activity occurring all through Allegheny County right now. Numerous communities have been hit hard by these groups. They are going to different neighborhoods and looking for unlocked vehicles to make off with quick easy money. If you leave a key in your unlocked vehicle you can kiss it good bye. Don’t leave valuables and/or keys in your vehicles.
Crafton was targeted 1.5-2 months ago and I’m sure will be targeted again in the future. Please deter these criminals by locking your vehicle. It’s really pretty simple to do and requires very minimal effort. It will keep your vehicle and property safe from these types of derelicts. If you observe people lurking around during the night time hours, especially 1AM-6AM please contact 911 immediately. This seems to be the time frame that these groups are operating. Also, if you live in the areas of Union Ave., Maplewood Ave., Underhill St. and Haldane St. please check your security cameras to see if you captured anyone on 10-23-20. We have one report on Union Ave. of a black female wearing a light-colored hoodie and gray Nike pants entering an unlocked vehicle on a parking pad. Thank you for assistance and looking out for one another.
DON’T TOUCH OR TAKE OTHER PEOPLE’S BELONGINGS(Even opposition political signs)
LOCK YOUR CARS, TRUCKS AND SUVS
-PLEASE REMEMBER TO LOCK YOUR VEHICLE(S) AND RESIDENCES ALL OF THE TIME.
-RESIDENTS ARE STRONGLY ENCOURAGED TO CALL 911 IMMEDIATELY UPON OBSERVING A SUSPICIOUS PERSON OR SOMETHING THAT APPEARS TO BE SUSPICIOUS.
-IF YOU SEE SOMETHING, SAY SOMETHING (Please call 911 immediately, not later)
Remember if it seems too good to be true. It probably is.
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