ReportWire

Tag: South Boston

  • Pushy fraudsters have nabbed $170K in fake donations in Boston, police say

    People aggressively soliciting for fraudulent charities have charged just over $170,000 from people in Boston across 11 recent incidents, police said Thursday, warning the public about the scams.

    In one case, Boston police said, someone had $50,000 charged from their account without authorization, in a scheme being reported across the country.

    The scammer or scammers typically approaches a woman in a parking lot asking for donations about a dead child or charity, then push the person to donate with their phone or credit card, sometimes using the payment method themselves.

    Those tactics have recently been used by small groups trying to raise money for a football team near South Station, police said Thursday.

    It’s a similar scheme to what police described last month in South Boston — though officials didn’t say if they were related. In those incidents, three people had money stolen outside of a Walgreens and a Whole Foods from a group of men claiming to be collecting donations.

    In each of those incidents, three men approached someone and pressured them into giving money by credit card over a tragedy in the family, according to police reports. While they indicated they were charging a small amount of money, $5 or $15, they ended up charging thousands.

    Experts have advice on how to keep your phone safe from thefts like several that are under investigation in Boston.

    Police on Thursday urged people not to hand their phone or credit card to people and to verify charities themselves before donating. Anyone who suspects they’re being targeted by one of the scams was urged to get away and report the activity to police.

    Asher Klein

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  • Group of men ask for donations, charge Boston shoppers thousands, police say

    Three people had money stolen outside popular Boston stores from a group of men claiming to be collecting donations, Boston police said Thursday, asking for help identifying the fraudsters.

    In each of the incidents, two on Saturday and one on Wednesday, three men approached someone and pressured them into giving money by credit card over a tragedy in the family, according to police reports. While they indicated they were charging a small amount of money, $5 or $15, they ended up charging thousands.

    The instances of fraud allegedly took place at a South End Whole Foods and a South Boston Walgreens Saturday, and the same Walgreens on Wednesday, according to police.

    In the case of the Walgreens incident, reported as a robbery, the men wouldn’t accept her saying “no,” then grabbed her phone and replied to an authorization message from her credit card company to OK a $4,000 payment.

    One of the men police are looking for was reported to have a tattoo that reads “Red” above his left eyebrow, officials said, asking for anyone with information to contact them.

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  • Who are they? Unanswered questions after remains of 4 infants found in Boston home

    Who are they? Unanswered questions after remains of 4 infants found in Boston home

    The Boston Police Department says the remains that were recently discovered inside a South Boston apartment are those of four infant children.On Nov. 17, officers were called to investigate a large brick building at 838 East Broadway that is separated into several apartments.Boston police said those officers found what appeared to be a human fetus or the remains of an infant. The following day, homicide detectives found what appeared to be additional human remains, which were removed by personnel from the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner for further investigation.On Monday, Boston police said further examination revealed that the remains are those of two infant boys and two infant girls. The results of the autopsies are still pending, according to police.Neighbors are left unsettled by the discovery. “Finding child remains in the freezer is something that keeps you up at night. You think about it when you’re coming home,” said neighbor Brandon Bowers. “I hope we can uncover more information about it because with all the questions, it just doesn’t feel quite right,” said neighbor Kimberly Mallozzi.BPD homicide detectives and members of the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office continue to investigate the incident.Anyone with information is asked to call 617-343-4470. Those who wish to remain anonymous can call the Crime Stoppers Tip Line at 1-800-494-8477 or by texting the word “TIP” to 27463.At the time the remains were discovered, 5 Investigates learned police located four boxes as part of their investigation. All of those boxes were roughly the size of a shoebox wrapped in foil.Sources told 5 Investigates that one of those boxes had been opened and that’s when the remains were discovered.A neighbor said the building where the remains were discovered has several condominium units with different owners.

    The Boston Police Department says the remains that were recently discovered inside a South Boston apartment are those of four infant children.

    On Nov. 17, officers were called to investigate a large brick building at 838 East Broadway that is separated into several apartments.

    Boston police said those officers found what appeared to be a human fetus or the remains of an infant. The following day, homicide detectives found what appeared to be additional human remains, which were removed by personnel from the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner for further investigation.

    On Monday, Boston police said further examination revealed that the remains are those of two infant boys and two infant girls. The results of the autopsies are still pending, according to police.

    Neighbors are left unsettled by the discovery.

    “Finding child remains in the freezer is something that keeps you up at night. You think about it when you’re coming home,” said neighbor Brandon Bowers.

    “I hope we can uncover more information about it because with all the questions, it just doesn’t feel quite right,” said neighbor Kimberly Mallozzi.

    BPD homicide detectives and members of the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office continue to investigate the incident.

    Anyone with information is asked to call 617-343-4470. Those who wish to remain anonymous can call the Crime Stoppers Tip Line at 1-800-494-8477 or by texting the word “TIP” to 27463.

    At the time the remains were discovered, 5 Investigates learned police located four boxes as part of their investigation. All of those boxes were roughly the size of a shoebox wrapped in foil.

    Sources told 5 Investigates that one of those boxes had been opened and that’s when the remains were discovered.

    A neighbor said the building where the remains were discovered has several condominium units with different owners.

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