Village Targeted, Scam Stopped: Western Springs Cops

WESTERN SPRINGS, IL — Western Springs police released their latest blotter Monday. Here is information from the police reports:

Village account targeted

• A person made a $51 purchase at Menards in Hodgkins using the village's account April 6. The person fraudulently claimed to be a village employee.

Gift card scam

• A resident in the 1400 block of 49th Court spoke with people she thought were Apple representatives and gave them personal information. The representatives then told the woman to withdraw $10,000 from her bank account and use the money to buy gift cards. The woman withdrew the maximum allowed $5,000 from her bank and tried to buy gift cards at Mariano's and Jewel. However, management at both stores recognized this as a scam and stopped the woman from buying any gift cards. The incident was reported Wednesday.

Driving violations

• Giovanni Palomino, 21, of Chicago, was cited about 9 a.m. April 24 at 47th Street and Gilbert Avenue on charges of driving with a suspended or revoked license and improper use of a phone while driving. He was released on bond.
• Khoran Lee, 30, of Westmont, was arrested about 2 a.m. Monday at Ogden and Johnson avenues on charges of DUI, driving with a suspended license and improper lane usage. He was released on bond. Lee was involved in an accident.

Bikes stolen

• An unlocked bicycle was stolen between 4 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. April 23 outside Elite Fitness, 805 Burlington Ave. The bike was valued at $380.
• A locked bicycle was taken while it was in the bike rack at Hillgrove and Lawn avenues between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. April 26. The bike was valued at $650.

Police report information is provided by local police departments. Charges are not evidence of guilt. They are a record of police actions on a given day, and persons charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.