Fraudsters convince victim to put $15,000 into cryptocurrency ATM: Westlake Police Blotter

WESTLAKE, Ohio —

Crypto fraud

A Westlake resident reported a fraud at 5 p.m. on Aug. 17, in which he was convinced to deposit more than $15,000 into a cryptocurrency ATM.

The man had received an unexpected text message claiming to come from the “Apple Fraud Department” that said someone was trying to withdraw funds from his Apple account. The victim called the provided phone number and spoke with a phony “Apple support person,” who transferred him to someone claiming to be with the Federal Trade Commission.

The fraudsters, telling the man that his financial accounts had been compromised, convinced him to withdraw his money from a bank. He was instructed to tell bank employees that it was for a vacation. The fraudsters then directed him to a nearby cryptocurrency ATM. The fraudsters promised the man that his money would be returned. However, he eventually realized it was a fraud and contacted the police.

Westlake police reported the incident to the Internet Crime Complaint Center, operated by the FBI.

Makeup heists

A 34-year-old woman and a 35-year-old man, both from Akron, were charged with felony theft in connection with a series of thefts from Westlake stores involving more than $2,300 in makeup and beauty products.

At least some of the thefts were committed with children in tow, according to the Westlake Police Department.

The first report came at 1 p.m. on July 24 from an employee of Sephora on Crocker Park Boulevard. The employee said that a woman with two children, apparently working with a man, loaded a purse with Gucci, Dior, and YSL products. She made off with about $1,500 worth of goods, according to the police.

On Aug. 1, employees of Ultra Beauty on Detroit Road, after watching security videos, discovered that two similar thefts had occurred at their store on July 24 and July 30. The woman then returned on Aug. 13 and left without paying for more than $850 worth of goods, according to the police department.

Police officers, using city traffic cameras, license plate readers, and police databases, identified two suspects and obtained warrants.

At 1:30 p.m. on Aug. 16, the suspects returned to Ultra Beauty while under observation from police detectives. They stopped the woman as she exited the store and returned to her running vehicle, which had four children inside, ranging in age from 7 to 16. The male suspect was arrested as he left the store.

The man, in addition to the felony theft charge, was charged with possession of cocaine, according to the police department.

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