Police Reports: Stolen Mercedes, extortion scams, bike cut from car rack

These reports were pulled from police summaries provided by departments in our coverage area (Wilmette, Winnetka, Northfield, Kenilworth and Glencoe) during the week of Sunday-Saturday, Feb. 8-13.

Wilmette:

There were 23 incidents of Illinois Department of Employment Services — later referred to as IDES — fraud filed between Feb. 5-12 in Wilmette.

Feb. 8

• A bicycle worth $1,300 that was strapped to a car rack was stolen between 1:32-1:44 p.m. in the Supercuts parking lot, 3200 Lake Ave. The bike is an REI co-op with 4.5-inch fat tires.

Feb. 7

• A power tool was reported stolen from a detached garage in the 400 block of Highcrest Drive.

Feb. 5

• A resident’s personal information was fraudulently used to purchase a vehicle in Lexington, Ky. that was then shipped to Schaumburg.

Kenilworth:

Feb. 9

• A resident’s personal information was fraudulently used to apply for a small business loan.

Winnetka:

There were 22 incidents of IDES fraud filed through Feb. 3 in Winnetka.

Feb. 1

• Several pieces of clothing, worth a total of $1,606, were reported stolen at 12:45 p.m. from J. McLaughlin, 567-A Lincoln Ave.

• Several bottles of liquor, worth a total of $726, were stolen between 4:41-4:43 p.m. from Walgreens, 925 Green Bay Road.

• A victim reportedly discovered on Dec. 18, 2020, an unknown offender used their information to open an AT&T account, activate multiple phone lines and make purchases without authorization. The total amount of loss is $2,445.

Glencoe:

There were seven incidents of IDES fraud filed between Jan. 28-Feb. 2 in Glencoe.

Feb. 9

• An unknown offender sent an email to a resident claiming they had a pornographic video of them and would release it to the public unless the resident sent money. The victim reported the scam and suffered no financial loss.

Feb. 5

• An unlocked 2018 Mercedes was reported stolen at 7:17 a.m. from an unlocked garage in the 400 block of Sheridan Road. The vehicle had its key fob left inside and was later recovered on the southwest side of Chicago.

• An unknown offender deceived a victim into sending nude photos over text messages and then threatened to send them to the victim’s family members.

• An unknown offender deceived a victim into allowing access to their computer and suffered a loss of more than $50,000.

• A resident received a tax document from PayPal showing they received money from the site; however, they did not receive any money.

Feb. 4

• A resident’s identity was fraudulently used to apply for FMLA and short-term disability benefits. There was no reported financial loss.

Northfield:

There were seven incidents of IDES fraud filed between Jan. 25-30 in Northfield.

Feb. 4

• Two bundles of firewood, worth $5 each, were reportedly stolen from outside Mariano’s, 1822 Willow Road.

Feb. 2

• Two windows on a Village building were broken after being struck by snow and ice during sidewalk snow removal at 360 S. Happ Road.

The Record’s police reports are taken from police-activity summaries prepared by local police departments. Police Reports contain public information from preliminary reports and are not a complete listing of all police activity. All arrestees are innocent until proven guilty.