November 13, 2024
Column

Woman fears she was victimized by phone scam

A Bangor woman called police Wednesday night after she believed she had been the victim of a telemarketing scam.

The 67-year-old woman received a call at her home around 9 p.m. from a man who identified himself as Nathan Miller.

The man claimed he was a salesman with Kmart and offered the woman $500 in merchandise coupons. He said the offer was being made to promote the department store chain’s merger with Sears, the police report said.

The caller didn’t know the woman’s name and requested her name along with her address, date of birth and Social Security number.

The woman provided the man with each piece of information except her Social Security number.

The caller told the woman she would have her coupons on Saturday, but he needed $4.95 for shipping and handling fees. The man recommended she write a check and save it for her records after she read him the “long number” along the bottom of her check, which she did.

After the phone call, the woman called Kmart and the manager advised her to contact police.

Officer James Hassard attempted to call the number that the alleged salesman left for the woman. When he called it, Hassard received a recording that said the business was closed, but was operational 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. Pacific Standard Time. There was no indication of what the business was.

Three teenagers were ordered out of a car at gunpoint in Orono on Wednesday evening after Veazie police received reports that the teens were driving around that town waving guns at other motorists and homes.

The guns turned out to be pellet guns, but officials said they looked like real semiautomatic pistols and two 17-year-old boys were charged by Veazie police with reckless conduct.

One of those teenagers was also charged by Orono police with possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia after he claimed ownership to some marijuana cigarettes and rolling papers that were found in the car.

A 17-year-old girl from Milford, who owned the car, was charged with possession of a Schedule W drug after a generic form of the prescription medicine Vicodin was found in her car, police reported.

The incident began in Veazie about 6:30 p.m. when dispatch reported that a car was seen driving through town on State Street and those inside were waving guns around and shooting street signs, Veazie police Officer Jeremy Leal reported.

The car was stopped in Orono by two Orono officers and two state troopers, who ordered the three teenagers out of the car at gunpoint, Orono police Sgt. Josh Ewing said Thursday.

An Orono man was almost home early Thursday morning when he decided to tangle with police. He ended up in jail.

Matthew Myers, 30, of Orono was walking with a friend in the middle of Mill Street about 1:30 a.m. when Orono police Officer Chris Foxworthy stopped them and asked them to walk on the sidewalk, just to be safe, according to police.

The pair said they would, but a little later Foxworthy found the two men back in the middle of the road.

The friend was cooperative when Foxworthy sought to identify them, but Myers proved uncooperative, said Orono police Sgt. Josh Ewing, who joined Foxworthy on Mill Street.

Myers’ home was nearby and the Mill Street man went into the home and came back with his dog on a leash. Myers continued to be uncooperative. He was yelling and animated and tried to walk past the police, Ewing said.

The friend took the leash and the dog and Foxworthy and Ewing took Myers to the ground after he struggled with them when they tried to handcuff him.

Myers was charged with disorderly conduct and refusing to submit to arrest or detention.

– Compiled by BDN

reporters Doug Kesseli and

Erinne Magee


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