Southold Blotter: Fake ‘Norton Antivirus’ scams throughout North Fork

A Southold woman told police Sept. 25 that she was scammed by a fraudulent email. She said she received an email she believed was from her boss stating that he needed four $200 gift cards. She bought the cards only to find out the email requesting them was fraudulent.

• On Sept. 26, police stopped a blue sedan with Colorado plates on Main Road in Southold after a report that the car was failing to maintain its lane of travel. The driver told police she was trying to eat while in the car. A police report noted “copious amounts of food” were scattered throughout the vehicle. The officer told the driver to remove the items before she continued to drive.

• An 81-year-old Mattituck man reported Sept. 27 that he received a call from “Norton Antivirus” about an overdue account. According to a police report, the caller, who identified himself as “Roger,” then transferred $19,500 from the man’s account and from there to another bank account. The man lost that money, according to the report.

• A Greenport woman told police Sept. 29 that she was the victim of a Facebook scam. She reported that she transferred money to an unknown individual in exchange for a puppy from Virginia. After transferring the money, she realized she had been scammed.

• A Mattituck man told police Sept. 29 that he was the victim of identity theft. He said he was served court papers to appear in Supreme Court in Manhattan because he owed back rental fees totaling $27,104 to a landlord called Sickles Street Company for an apartment in his name. The man told police he had no such apartment. He told police he also received a letter from the New York State Department of Taxation that he owned $5,000 in back taxes for a company called Country Curve Reeve LLC. He told police he did not own the company. A police report said the company was fake.

• A Southold woman told police Sept.29 that she was the victim of a phone scam. She reported receiving a call from “Deputy Shawn Parker,” who told her he had a warrant for her arrest and wanted her to pay $1,000 to clear it up. No financial loss was suffered, a report states.

• On Sept. 29, police responded to a motor vehicle accident on Youngs Avenue in Southold. Officers arrested Jose Lopez Gregorio, 59, of Greenport after he performed poorly on a field sobriety test. He was transported to headquarters and held for a morning arraignment.

• A 70-year-old Orient woman told police she was the victim of a scam and lost a total of $70,000 in the process. She said she received a call from “Norton Antivirus” about a subscription. “Kevin Parker” requested that she wire $359, but she instead wired $35,000 by mistake. No refund came through. “Kevin Parker” then told her to wire another $35,000 to an account in Hong Kong, which she did, for a total loss of $70,000. The woman’s bank told her the transactions could not be stopped in time. 

Those who are named in police reports have not been convicted of any crime or violation. The charges against them may later be reduced or withdrawn, or they may be found innocent.