Police Intervention Thwarts Scam Attempt in Westlake, Ohio

In Westlake, Ohio, a vigilant convenience store owner alerted police detectives on April 4 at 1:30 p.m. regarding an elderly individual depositing substantial amounts of money into a cryptocurrency ATM within the store. The store proprietor observed the man receiving instructions via his cellphone, correctly deducing that he was being targeted in a scam.

Prompt police intervention prevented the completion of the cryptocurrency transaction, thereby thwarting the transfer of funds to the fraudsters. The potential victim had encountered a pop-up message on his home computer, falsely alleging a compromise of his system. The scammers coerced him by fabricating claims of illicit activities involving child pornography on his PC, threatening implication unless he paid for purported cleanup services.

Westlake Police Department issued a cautionary advisory to residents, urging vigilance against scammers employing tactics such as pop-up messages, emails, texts, or phone calls to extort payments through gift cards, cryptocurrency, or bank withdrawals.

Felony Evasion on I-90 Leads to Arrest

On the same day, at around 9 a.m., a vehicle with a driver and a passenger evaded police on I-90 after momentarily halting. Due to safety concerns, law enforcement terminated a brief pursuit. Subsequently, the passenger, who disembarked in Cleveland, cooperated by disclosing the absconding driver’s identity. The driver, sought on warrants from Strongsville and Trumbull County, was apprehended later in the day after voluntarily surrendering upon learning of the police search.

Charges of felony evasion and driving with a suspended license were leveled against the 30-year-old Olmsted Township resident.

Warrant Arrests on Columbia Road

In a separate incident at 4 a.m. on April 5, officers detained a vehicle on Columbia Road at Detroit Road following intelligence that the car’s registered owner was wanted by Cleveland authorities for evading a prior traffic violation. The 38-year-old Cleveland native was arrested and handed over to Cleveland law enforcement.

Furthermore, the 39-year-old female passenger from Cleveland faced outstanding warrants from Parma and North Olmsted for similar traffic-related infractions. She was apprehended and transferred to North Olmsted police custody.

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