Ransom email demands $5,000; guest punched during stadium event

The following incidents are crime reports filed by the Charleston Police Department’s Patrol Team 5 (Daniel Island, Clements Ferry Road, and Cainhoy) between May 1 and May 15. 

 

LARCENY

On May 2, an officer met with a complainant on Elfe Street in reference to a flimflam incident. The complainant was contacted by a person who identified himself as an employee of his cryptocurrency exchange. He was advised that his account had been compromised. The caller guided the complainant through the process of moving $13,320 out of his account into a different wallet. After completing the transfer, he became suspicious and discovered that all the cryptocurrency transferred was missing. Phone calls to the individual posing as an employee went unanswered. An investigation is underway. 

 

IDENTITY THEFT

Team 5 police officers were approached by a resident on May 9 who reported that he had been a victim of identity theft. He stated that on May 8, he received multiple notifications indicating that someone was attempting to access his email account. Later that day, he received another notification confirming a transfer of cryptocurrency from the Coinbase app. When he attempted to log in to his account, he discovered it had been frozen. Fifteen minutes later, a ransom email demanded $5,000, or all photos, emails, and videos would be leaked. The email included his personal email address and password, indicating a breach. On the same day, the victim was notified that his airline account had been compromised, which contained his family’s passport information. At 10:45 p.m., the complainant was notified that someone had checked into a hotel in Houston, Texas, using his name. The victim was advised that he should contact all of his financial institutions and freeze his accounts. 

 

On May 13, an officer was called to Enterprise Boulevard regarding a reported identity theft. The victim stated that on April 14, she received an email from a personal loan company indicating that her loan deposit of $255 would be credited on April 15. The complainant said that she did not apply for a loan. She contacted the loan company and learned that the loan funds were sent to a bank account that doesn’t belong to her. The loan was electronically signed on April 14 from an IP address traced to San Diego, California. The loan application listed the complainant’s previous California address. The victim added that she had recently received multiple spam messages, phone calls, and text messages that appeared to be scams. A police report was filed to document the ongoing issues. 

 

ASSAULT

Police responded to a physical disturbance on May 9 at the Credit One Stadium on Seven Farms Drive. The complainant explained that during an event, an unidentified male entered a suite and approached a guest in an aggressive manner. After telling him to leave, the male struck the left side of the guest on the mouth with a closed fist and knocked a tooth loose. He then quickly jumped over the rail and left the suite. EMS arrived on the scene and advised the guest that he would need stitches. The complainant plans to press charges.