Crime Report: Kmart Employee Reports Phone Scam

were dispatched July 3 to , 40855 Ann Arbor Road, after an employee reported an apparent attempt to defraud an elderly woman, according to a police report

The employee told police an elderly woman was trying to obtain a Western Union check under suspicious circumstances, the report said.

The woman told police she received a suspicious July 3 phone call from a man identifying himself as a lawyer in California who said the woman’s grandson hadbeen involved in an automobile accident with his client and that the grandson was found at fault in the crash and needed $830 sent to him using a Western Union check.

The man purporting to be a lawyer told the woman his client is from Spain and has diplomatic immunity and told her if she did not send the money immediately, her grandson would be charged with a felony, the report said.  The man told the woman to not contact anyone about the telephone call.

The woman told police she tried to contact her grandson, but was unable to make contact with him, the report said. Fearing he might be in trouble, the woman withdrew $830 from her bank account and took it directly to Kmart to obtain a Western Union check, then the employee told her the situation sounded fraudulent and advised her to call police.

During her interview with police, the woman received a phone call from her grandson in California, who told police he was not involved in an accident, nor did he know the person purporting to be a lawyer.

Police told the woman she was almost the victim of a fraud and told her she should contact Plymouth Township police if she continues to receive suspicious calls.

Man accused of taking Nike shoes from Kohl's

responded July 9 to , 44444 Ford Road, for a report of a man taking shoes, according to a police report.

The store’s loss prevention officer told police he saw a man select a pair of size 11 light blue Nike Duel Fusion shoes, putting on the new pair and leaving his old pair of black Nike shoes in the box, the report said.

According to the police report, the loss prevention officer stopped the man when he tried to leave the store and asked the man if he could just return the shoes. The man told the employee the two would “talk about it,” then ran to the south side of the Kohl’s parking lot and got into a silver Nissan Altima and fled eastbound through the parking lot across Sheldon and into the adjacent JC Penny parking lot before leaving the scene.

For questions about this crime report, email john.mckay@patch.com.