Cops Corner: Week of April 24

April 15

GRABBING FOR GROCERIES
4500 block of 53rd Avenue East, Bradenton
Trespass warning: A woman went grocery shopping, placing items into her cart. When she went to the self-checkout lane, she scanned only half of her grocery items. Her cart included one large bag of dog food, which she left at the bottom of the cart. The value of items stolen was $46.35. A store manager informed the woman she was trespassed from the business.

NO JOB IS A GOOD JOB
6000 block of Willow Beck Lane, Lakewood Ranch
Information only: A woman responded to a job posting she saw on social media for a job where she could work from home performing data entry. A company employee directed her to install video conference software on her computer so he could complete a job interview and forward her name to the hiring manager, “Jeff.” The manager contacted the woman via video conference and talked about the company and her qualifications. He asked for a picture of her holding her driver’s license, which she provided. Jeff told her that they would send her a computer to complete work assignments but first would send her a check to deposit in her account and then transfer money to download a specific software program. She was sent a check via email in the amount of $1,400 for the “software” and was asked to complete a mobile deposit. She was given instructions to print out the check, cut it to size and take a picture of the front and back for the mobile deposit. The woman felt uncomfortable and refused to comply because she felt it was a scam. Jeff said it was not, but the woman declined the position. She then called the company named and verified the the job posting was a scam.

April 17
SOAKING KIND OF SABOTAGE
6100 block of Exchange Way, Bradenton
Burglary to an unoccupied structure: Patrons of the hotel were evicted for causing a disturbance and security escorted them off the property. Overnight between April 16-17, someone entered the room, plugged the bathtub and turned on the water. The subjects also removed the television before leaving. The bathtub overflowed, saturating the entire room with about 1 inch of standing water. The water leaked into the room below.

SHE MISSED A CALL
6000 block of State Road 64 E., Bradenton
Theft from building: A woman called to report someone had stolen her iPhone.