Wiscasset Police Chief Troy Cline is cautioning residents about a potential phone scam from an alleged payday loan company.
On Sept. 28, Cline responded to a complaint of fraud from a Wiscasset man. The man had received a phone call from someone purporting to be part of a payday loan company and who told the local resident he owed money from a loan secured sometime in the past, Cline said.
The caller did have some accurate personal information, possibly obtained through the Internet, Cline said. The caller tried to “strong-arm” the man into paying, telling his potential victim the police would be called if he did not send payment, Cline said.
Cline said citizens should not give out any personal information over the telephone until the source of the call has been verified. Looking up the phone number on the Internet is a good way to find out if a number has already been identified as part of a scam, Cline added.
A tell-tale sign can be a foreign accent as these calls are often placed from overseas, Cline said.
Cline also wishes to remind residents that filing a false public report or alarm is a misdemeanor offense.
Officer Perry Hatch responded to two fraudulent calls on Sept. 28, both submitted via a TTY relay service for hearing impaired individuals, Cline said.
One report was for shots being fired at a residence and another for a house on fire, Cline said.
“When people do things like this, it takes us away from real calls,” Cline said. Officers are required to treat these as valid reports until found otherwise, he said.
The Wiscasset Police Dept. reports the following activities from Sept. 24 to the afternoon of Oct. 1:
Sept. 26, Sgt. Williams arrested Dustin Edwards, 26, of Wiscasset, for two charges of failure to appear.
Sept. 30, Officer Donald Smith arrested Rachel Corson, 42, of Wiscasset, for domestic violence assault.
Oct. 1, Chief Troy Cline responded to a motor vehicle accident on Alna Road. Jessica Carroll, operating a Volkswagen Jetta, was driving southbound and drifted into the northbound lane. Carroll quickly pulled the vehicle out of the path of oncoming traffic and lost control of her vehicle, which entered the ditch and rolled over onto its roof. Carroll was transported to Midcoast Hospital for minor injuries.
Sept. 26, Chief Cline summonsed Wendy Wolf, 60, of West Boothbay, for an inspection violation.
Sept. 26, Chief Cline summonsed a female juvenile, 15, of Wiscasset, for possession of marijuana.
Sept. 27, Officer Geoffrey Davis summonsed Scott Richards, 27, of Whitefield, for failure to stop at a stop sign.
Sept. 27, Chief Cline summonsed Herbert Koehnlein, 46, of Wiscasset, for an expired inspection sticker, inadequate exhaust system, and two inadequate tires.
Sept. 29, Officer Davis summonsed Deborah Poor, 62, of Newcastle, for speeding and no insurance.
Sept. 29, Officer Davis summonsed Levi Lamoreau, 22, of Augusta, for speeding.
