Police Log: Fraud, Tree Falls on Car

FOUND BACKPACK
East Greenwich Police took possession of a red and black Outdoor backpack on April 14 after it was turned in to police after being found in the parking lot area of 33 Long Street.

Police said the bag contained clothes and papers addressed to a man known by police. Police said they weren’t able to make contact with the man at first.

The backpack was secured in a property closet.

PROPERTY LINE DISPUTE
East Greenwich Police advised a Pequot Trail man that an ongoing dispute with a neighbor over a property line is a civil matter.

Police said they responded to the man’s address on April 14 after a complaint.

The man told police that the developer of the adjacent property commissioned a land survey of the property and was claiming that several feet of property actually belonged to him.

When the man returned home from work on April 14, he saw several large concrete blocks along the new property line that came within 10 feet of the corner of his garage.

Police advised the man to contact a lawyer.

POSSIBLE FRAUD
On April 15, a Tamarack Drive woman told police that she had received a strange message on her answering machine from a man with a thick accent who claimed to be from the Internal Revenue Service.

Police listened to the message and said the man claimed the woman had a problem with her tax information.

It was then that the phone rang and it was the same number from the man purporting to be from the IRS. Police took the phone and asked for the man’s name.

The man then said “Don’t get smart with me!” and hung up.

Police documented the incident. 

TREE FALLS ON CAR
A tree fell onto a car in the parking lot of the South County Trail CVS on April 15, police reported.

Police said the tree fell from the New England Tech property next door and landed on a 2005 Acura MDX.

The owner said she was leaving the parking lot when the tree felt directly on to the rear hatch of her SUV.

Police said there was moderate damage to the roof, passenger side rear fender and the rear windshield was shattered.

TAX FRAUD
A Signal Ridge Way couple was the victim of a tax scam and discovered the crime when they went to file their taxes, police said.

Police were contacted by the woman on April 15, who said that her husband tried to file their taxes using TurboTax but got an alert that their taxes had already been filed.

The victim reportedly contacted the IRS and the Federal Trade Commission and the matter is being investigated.

Police are investigating.