This section is based on data provided to Pascack Press weekly by neighborhood police departments. Due to pending court appearances and other variations, the following information shall be read in ‘press time’ context.
PARK RIDGE, N.J.—Police responded to a complaint of ID theft and fraud Feb. 18 after a couple said they were victims of a scam.
The wife said they had been looking at renting an address on Montvale Avenue and were contacted by a “Kelvin Dobson” through email and text messages. Dobson stated that he allegedly owned the property and wanted to rent to them.
The wife said all seemed to be in order for the proceedings of a normal rental up to that point, and they signed a contract. Dobson told them that he would have his lawyer provide them with the key to the house, but he needed to pay his lawyer prior to them getting the key. He said he needed them to send him $1,200 by MoneyGram.
The couple went to CVS in Westwood and purchased the MoneyGram, then sent the money to the ostensible attorney, “Harvey Daniel.”
The couple then went to the house they wanted to rent and spoke with the Realtor, who informed them that she did not know who Dobson was nor was he the owner of the property. She suggested that they file a police report.
The couple contacted MoneyGram, which said it would open a case. The couple filed their police report and provided the email address and phone number they had for the scammer.