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PORT CHESTER, N.Y. A 34-year-old Port Chester man who reported a suspicious phone call Monday from a supposed relative, told police he discovered the call could have led to his home being burgled.
The man reported to police he received a phone call from the same number on both his home line and cell phone around 10:30 a.m. Monday. He said he spoke to a person who stated they were family members of his flying into New York from Mexico and they needed to be picked up. When the man hung up he was suspicious and called his relatives to double check, but they told him no one was flying to New York.
This guy Googled the number and other people stated they got a similar phone call and when they left their house to go pick up family at the airport, their house was burglarized, said Lt. Jim Ladeairous, spokesman for the Port Chester Police Department. As soon as people leave, [burglars] know how long they have to go through the apartment. Someone is setting people up this way.
When the caller rang the man a second time, he said he had no family to pick up, and they quickly hung up the phone, Ladeairous said.
The number being used in the scam is 331-111-3754. The area code is for Illinois. In searching for the number, several sites come up in Spanish and English with recent warnings from people that the number is indeed a fraud.
Thank goodness this guy brought this to our attention, Ladeairous said. Hopefully, someone else wont get stuck with this.
If anyone receives a phone call from the number or anyone suspicious relaying a similar message, contact the Port Chester Police Department at 914-939-1000.
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