Blotter: 15k PayPal scam hits in Mattituck

Southold Town police responded to several noise and loud music complaints as well as at least six apparently accidental 911 calls between Aug. 11 and Aug. 18. During this period, the following incidents were also reported: 

• A 75-year-old Mattituck woman reported a scam to police on Aug. 14. After receiving an email she thought was from PayPal, she was called from a number known to law enforcement as associated with PayPal scams. The caller, “Peter,” said her Capital One account had been hacked and, for security, she needed to withdraw $13,000 in cash and turn it over to a young Asian woman named “Tina” at a location on Love Lane. She complied, and “Tina,” wearing a black shirt, black shorts and a hat, took the money and left. Police are attempting to obtain video footage from the area. The victim was then called again by “Peter,” who instructed her to withdraw $1,500 from the same account, drive to Walmart and convert the cash to a virtual Walmart gift card, which she did. The responding officer and the victim went to Capital One to file fraud reports and lock her account. The woman also said the scammers had access to her iPad using an app called AnyDesk. Detectives were notified and an investigation continues.
• A Greenport woman called police Aug. 11 to report a person at the residence who would not leave. Responding officers confirmed an active notice of trespass against the individual, Robert Smith of Greenport, 66, who was arrested, processed at headquarters and released on a field appearance ticket.
• A 68-year-old Southold man called police at about 7:45 p.m. on Aug. 13 after he was struck in the face multiple times at the Gulf gas station on Route 48 in Southold. The man reported he was nearly struck by a car while walking into the station and confronted the driver, who struck him twice in the face with a closed fist. He refused medical attention but wished to pursue charges. Video evidence was requested and an investigation is pending.
• Staff at a restaurant on Third Street in Greenport used a photo to help police identify a man who reportedly approached a 15-year-old girl there Aug. 15 and gave her a flower. The girl said she had seen the man before and that “he often says hello” to her. Restaurant management signed a notice of trespass, after which the man was located at the Fourth Street LIRR parking lot and advised of same. He apologized and said he did not realize the girl was a juvenile.
• Police were summoned to the Mattituck CVS Aug. 15 when a 72-year-old Huntington man created a disturbance after learning that his prescription medication was not in stock. The man reportedly yelled at younger employees and then went behind the counter and yelled at the complainant, who thought the man would try to fight him. After police arrived, the Huntington man left the premises without incident, but a trespass affidavit was completed.
• Police were advised of a motor vehicle accident Aug. 15 about 10 p.m. and, upon arrival, found that Margaret Brown of New Suffolk, 83, had struck a parked car while traveling northbound on South Harbor Road. During an investigation at the scene, Ms. Brown was found to be intoxicated. She was arrested and transported to police headquarters for processing 
• On Aug. 16, officers responded to Orchard Street in Orient on a report of a possible stolen vehicle. The caller was house sitting for a relative traveling out of the country. She went out to retrieve an item from her own car and noticed that the relative’s car was not in the driveway. She told police the keys had been inside and tried multiple times to contact her relative to see if he had loaned the car to anyone. An online search placed the car near the Orient Yacht Club, where it was found unlocked with no keys. The house sitter retrieved the car using a spare key and will continue to try reaching the owner for an explanation.
• Police were called Aug. 17 after white Infiniti backed into a white Toyota Tacoma on Main Road in Southold and then “sped off,” according to two witnesses to the accident. The Infiniti was not located, but officers contacted the registered owner, a New York City man, who said his daughter was operating the vehicle and provided her number. When the daughter was reached and the officer asked if he was speaking to “X,” she said, “No, not really.” She then became agitated and hung up, according to the report. The vehicle owner was then advised it would be in his best interest to have his daughter contact police “at her convenience.”
• A physical fight between the general manager and chef brought police to a restaurant on Main Street in Greenport on Aug 17. The incident, captured on video from the kitchen, showed the manager approach the chef and an argument with abusive language ensue. The manager was “aggressive,” going “chest to chest” with the chef, according to the report, then using both hands to push him forcefully in the face. They separated, but the manager soon reignited the fight, this time slapping the chef in the face, after which the chef left the premises. Officers drove the manager to another location, and from there to the hospital for a cut under his eye. The chef chose not to press charges. The manager wished to but was told by officers he could not as video showed he started the confrontation. The restaurant owner was advised of the incident.

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.