A woman asked for help from Denton police after being bilked out of at least $600 by someone in Peru.
She said she received a call in October at her home in the 1500 block of Oakwood Drive from a solicitor in Peru offering a set of DVDs meant to teach English to Spanish speakers.
The solicitor said the set cost $600 but she could pay half upfront and the rest in three monthly installments drafted from her bank account. She agreed.
She received the set and paid off the contract. Then she received another call. Because she paid out the $300, $600 interest had accrued and she now owed that, the caller told her. He threatened that she would lose her house if she did not pay the money, a police report states. She sent a money order to an address in Peru.
On Monday she received a third call. This time the caller said there had been a processing problem. If she did not send a third money order - this one for $600 as well - the police would be on the way to seize her house, the caller said. He pretended to be on the telephone with police telling them her address, the report states.
The woman called her daughter, who advised her to contact police.
Other reports
1400 block of Bernard Street - A couple reported to police Monday that an intruder had been in their home. The man reported his laptop computer was missing. The woman reported a camera was missing and $50 was gone from her handbag left on a table.
The car keys had not been removed from her purse but the car had been moved to another parking place. The vehicle had been opened and ransacked, and she believes the intruder then brought the keys back and replaced them in her handbag, the report states.
A window screen had been cut to gain entry into the home.
1200 block of Fort Worth Drive - An employee reported Monday that someone pried open a storage building door and also removed 1,200 pounds of scrap metal from a trailer inside a fenced area at a business over the weekend. The intruder would have needed a lot of time and a trailer to carry the stolen property, according to the report.
3000 block of Fort Worth Drive - A business employee reported Monday that someone cut open a gate on a fence and removed two trucks and a welder on a trailer sometime over the weekend.
Roundup
From 7 a.m. Monday to 7 a.m. Tuesday:
• Denton police handled 403 service and officer-initiated calls, including three reports of fraud, one overdose, 10 thefts, six burglaries, one illegal dumping, one forgery, two assaults, one domestic disturbance, one sexual assault, one identification theft, one case of possession of a controlled substance, one suspicious person and one threat.
• Denton County sheriff's dispatchers handled 567 service and officer-initiated calls for the agencies they serve. Thirty-eight people were booked into county jail. Deputies took reports of one domestic disturbance and one assault.
• Denton firefighters responded to 27 medical calls, one request to assist an invalid, one request for public service, one gas leak, one electrical malfunction, one smoke investigation and one request to assist police.
Argyle firefighters responded to one medical call and one request to assist a citizen.
Aubrey firefighters responded to five medical calls.
Krum firefighters responded to one medical call.
Lake Cities firefighters responded to two medical calls, one suicide attempt and one traffic accident.
Ponder firefighters responded to one medical call.
Sanger firefighters responded to one medical call and one traffic accident.
DONNA FIELDER can be reached at 940-566-6885. Her e-mail address is dfielder@dentonrc.com .
Denton County Crime Stoppers will pay a reward of up to $1,000 for information leading to an arrest in these or other crimes. Callers will remain anonymous. Call 1-800-388-TIPS (8477). Reach the Denton police narcotics tip line at 940-565-5801.
