AUBURN An Auburn detective who helped return $65,000 to a scam victim has been recognized by Worcester District Attorney Joseph D. Early Jr.
Police Detective Keith Chipman was called by the family of a 78-year-old North Carolina woman who d been bilked out of about $160,000 in an online scheme, said Early, noting that recovering funds in these cases is difficult and rare.
The scammer used a military romance scam, a common scheme in which subjects use fake Facebook accounts to portray themselves as United States servicemen and target women online in an attempt to fraudulently solicit funds, according to Early.
“All too often, victims of scams will never see their money again,” Mr. Early said. “Det. Chipman’s diligent work and commitment on this case helped the victim restore some of her life savings.”
WORCESTER The 19th annual Goods for Guns Buyback took place Saturday at the Police Department.
And while turnout was light compared to previous years, organizers said if they get one gun off the streets, it’s worth it.
Dr. Michael P. Hirsh the city s Department of Public Health medical director, UMass Memorial Medical Center s chief of the division of pediatric surgery and director of trauma services, and the surgeon-in-chief of the Children’s Medical Center and Asia Simpson, injury prevention coordinator at UMass Memorial Medical Center, were both on hand for the city’s gun buyback program.
They said their hope is to get some unwanted guns out of homes where they might be accessed by thieves who later use them in crimes, or by folks feeling depressed who may use them to commit suicide.