Police Reports: Cash taken from church; resident scammed out of $25,000

These reports were pulled from the latest police summaries provided by departments in our coverage area (Wilmette, Winnetka, Northfield, Kenilworth and Glencoe).

WILMETTE

Sept. 23

• Fifty dollars in cash reportedly was taken from the parish office of St. Francis Xavier Church, 524 9th St.

• Catalytic converters reportedly were removed and taken from two vehicles — one each in 700 block of Lavergne Avenue, the 600 block of Lamon Avenue — in what police believe are connected incidents, according to Wilmette Police Cmdr. Michael Robinson. “More than likely (they are related), but we don’t know for sure,” he said. “It’s becoming an increasingly common thing in the area.”

Around 4 a.m. on Sept. 23 Wilmette officers reported possibly catching thieves in the act of stealing a catalytic converter when officers reportedly saw a vehicle raised on a jack and heard a saw. Two individuals allegedly then fled the scene, according to a police report.

Robinson said catalytic converters are targeted for theft because they contain precious metals, such as platinum and rhodium.

He said Wilmette has seen minimal similar incidents, but they are more prolific in nearby communities, such as Evanston.

“It’s definitely a concern,” he said. “We’ve been fortunate we haven’t had as many as our neighbors. Our officers are pretty provocative in their patrol patterns, knowing the crime pattern in the area.”

Sept. 19

• Police reportedly observed graffiti on a traffic-control box near the intersection of Lake Avenue and Green Bay Road.

Sept. 17

• A Walgreen employee reported that an individual left the store at 3232 Lake Avenue without paying for items.

WINNETKA

Sept. 16

• A locked bicycle reportedly was stolen from a bike rack at 521 Birch St.

Sept. 15

• A resident reportedly lost $1,280 after their personal information was fraudulently used to open and use a credit card.

Sept. 14

• A flag and tee marker reportedly were removed and a putting green reportedly damaged at the Winnetka Golf Club, 1300 Oak St. The reported loss amount was $605.

• Graffiti was reported to the side of the building at 736 Elm St.

Sept. 13

• A resident reportedly lost $1,012 in a telephone scam in which the caller purported to be a police officer and requested the resident buy gift cards to make up for an incorrect deposit.

GLENCOE

Sept. 22

• A caller reportedly told a resident they worked for Amazon, took access to the resident’s computer and made three fraudulent withdrawals totaling $1,996.

NORTHFIELD

Sept. 16

• A bicycle valued around $800 reportedly was stolen between Sept. 10-14 from an underground parking garage at the Middlefork Woods Condominiums in the 1800 block of Old Willow Road.

Sept. 13

• A resident reportedly lost nearly $25,000 in a fraud scheme after allegedly responding to an email purportedly from Norton Lifelock. The resident reportedly was contacted later to call an out-of-state phone number and unlock their computer for $4,700. The resident reportedly was contacted again and purchased $20,000 in gift cards to unlock the computer.

The Record’s police reports are taken from police-activity summaries prepared by local police departments. Police Reports contain public information from preliminary reports and are not a complete listing of all police activity. The Record does not publish the names of individuals arrested for nonviolent crimes in preliminary reports unless the incident is a matter of public safety or has broad community implications. All arrestees are innocent until proven guilty