Milton Couple Loses $30,000 Watch to Burglar

A Milton resident told police someone stole a $30,000 Rolex watch and a $1,600 Prada handbag from her home on Friday night, March 1.

The Sunflower Way resident said she left her home at 6 p.m., and returned a little more than two hours later. The alarm system had started to malfunction on Feb. 24, and she has yet to get it repaired. Also, she reported locking herself out of her home two days later, which required a locksmith to open the door.

She had the locks changed after that.
Milton police found a rear window unsecured, but no one was found inside.

Bank Helps Milton Woman Battle Credit Card Fraud

A Milton woman has cancelled a credit card and her bank has put a hold on her account after someone charged $643 at Walmart.com to her card.

The victim told Milton police on March 2 she received notification from Wells Fargo about the charge on the morning of Feb. 28. When she contacted the bank, they put a hold on the charge and told her to fill out an identity theft package that would be sent to her and to fill out a police report.

She also has notified credit reporting agencies about the identity theft.

Tax Return Fraud Strikes Milton Residents

People keep stealing local residents' identities to file tax returns with the IRS, with a Region Trace, Milton, woman the latest victim.

The victim said she tried to file her 2012 tax return on Feb. 21, with expectations of receiving her return on March 1. But her accountant contacted her on Feb. 27 to tell her someone already filed a tax return using her information, including her name, date of birth and Social Security number.

She has contacted a credit reporting agency and the IRS about the identity theft.

IRS Flags Tax Return, Saving Milton Woman Some Headaches

Another Milton resident was a little more fortunate when someone attempted to file a fraudulent tax return under her name. She was notified by the IRS via a letter on Feb. 26 that about the attempt, which was flagged by the agency.

After spending five hours on the phone with the IRS, she learned that the tax return seemed to trigger something in it system to get it flagged as suspicious. The return was not honored.

The IRS associate advised her to file a report with her local police department to document the attempted fraud, which she did on Feb. 27. She already filed an affidavit with the Federal Trade Commission and put fraud alerts on her account.

For questions about this blotter, email Bob Pepalis.