The following information was provided by the Watertown Police Department.
Feb. 2: At 4:45 p.m., a man went into Target and went through the self checkout, scanned some of the items but did not scan about $500 in merchandise. He left the store and got into a vehicle parked on the side of Target, near Elm Street. The driver backed up and struck a parked car before leaving the area. The dark-colored SUV had New York license plates.
Feb. 2: A package was stolen from a home on Coolidge Hill Road. FedEx had delivered the package that contained $48 worth of perfume from the front porch.
Feb. 3: A vehicle was stolen from Grove Street and later was located in Newton. It was found on Center Street and the suspect is also believed to have been involved in a breaking and entering in Newton. Police are investigating.
Feb. 4: While using a computer, a Quimby Street resident had a popup saying that the computer was infected by a virus. It had a phone number to call to remove the virus. The resident called and was asked to purchase Sephora gift cards from Amazon. The resident did not do so and reported the incident to police.
Feb. 4: A DoorDash order was stolen from outside a home on Warren Street. The $35 order included Greek salad.
Feb. 5: A man went into Nike with a mesh bag at 11:30 a.m. and stole $215 worth of merchandise.
Feb. 5: A Winsor Avenue resident discovered that two checks had been taken and changed. One was made out for $10,000, and the other for $9,200. The resident put the check into a mailbox on School Street at Maplewood Avenue.
Feb. 7: A man stole a pair of Nike Air Max shoes priced at $170 from the Nike store at 4:45 p.m.
Feb. 8: A woman took hygiene products worth $45 from Target at 1:30 p.m.
Feb. 9: A resident of Charles River Road discovered that a Euphree electric bike was missing. It had been stored in a shed two months prior. The resident believes someone went into the shed and took the bike, which cost $2,000.
Feb. 10: A shoplifter took a Tamogotchi toy valued at $30 was taken from Best Buy.
Scam Alert
The Watertown Police received reports of someone impersonating a Watertown Police officer and asking for gift cards to resolve an issue.
The WPD put out an announcement on social media that said, in part:
“It has come to our attention that someone is impersonating a Watertown Police Officer through spoofed phone calls. The caller is requesting that you purchase Target gift cards, and the caller ID may falsely display our official number. Please be aware that this is a scam. If you receive a similar call, do not engage or provide any information. Instead, contact us directly at 617-972-6500 to report it.”