The following accounts were provided by Investigator Patrick Reilly of Binghamton’s New York State University Police.

Student buys $1,350 in gift cards for scammer

FRIDAY, Sept. 29, 8:50 p.m. — A 19-year-old female contacted UPD and said she believed she was the victim of fraud. The female said she’d received an email from a man who claimed to be named Raymond Kattoura. The email listed a job opportunity as a personal assistant. The female said she was looking for employment and responded to email. She told the sender she was interested in the position and was hired on Sept. 16. She was asked to purchase multiple iTunes gift cards and electronically send them to a person named Craig. She told officers she purchased $200 in gift cards and sent them to Craig on Sept. 20. Later, on Sept. 26, she purchased a $100 gift card and a $50 gift card. She sent these as well. She told police she purchased $1,000 in gift cards afterward, but did not send them because she had yet to receive reimbursement for the previous gift cards and was concerned the job might be a scam. Eventually, she received a bank check for $1,995. The victim deposited the check and decided to wait for it to clear before sending the other gift cards she had purchased. She said she’d been instructed to send a copy of the bank deposit slip to Craig, but because she was worried the job might be a scam, she opted not to do so. When she did not send the copy of the deposit slip, Craig became very angry and demanded the rest of the iTunes gift cards. At this point, the victim ceased communication with Craig because she was certain that the job didn’t exist and contacted UPD. The victim originally believed that she had only lost $350 as a result of the scam, but she then realized that she couldn’t return the $1,000 in gift cards that she’d purchased. Due to her circumstances, officers contacted the stores that had sold the gift cards to the victim and explained the situation. The stores then agreed to work with the victim to devise a plan to reimburse her for the cards. The case is still under investigation, and UPD reminds students and faculty to be alert for scams and fraud, especially in regard to email communications.

Intoxicated male transported to hospital

FRIDAY, Sept. 29, 11:30 p.m. — Officers responded to Windham Hall of Mountainview College after receiving a report of an intoxicated student. Upon arriving at the scene, officers observed that the student, a 19-year-old male, was lying in bed vomiting and shivering. The male’s eyes were rolling into the back of his head. Officers contacted Harpur’s Ferry ambulance immediately and tried to ask the male questions about his condition. Although the male was able to respond to his name, he was unable to respond to other questions. The only information he was able to tell officers was that he had drank seven to nine shots of vodka in 40 minutes. Harpur’s Ferry took the male to the hospital.

Lost and found turns up fake ID

MONDAY, Oct. 2, 6:48 p.m. — A small purse was turned into UPD for lost and found, but when officers searched the purse to determine who it belonged to, they found a forged Connecticut driver’s license. Officers also discovered a real ID in the purse, belonging to a 20-year-old female student. The forged license listed the student’s real name, but contained a false date of birth. Officers contacted the suspect, who claimed that the purse was hers. Officers asked the suspect about the forged license and informed her that she would be reported to Student Conduct.

Roommate steals over $1,000

MONDAY, Oct. 2, 10:37 p.m. — An 18-year-old female contacted police on Aug. 31 and said someone had taken $500 from her purse. She said she was given money by her parents for expenses and had placed it in her purse. She then left her room for several hours, and when she returned, discovered that the money was missing. On Sept. 25, the female contacted police again and reported that someone had used her debit and credit cards to make two online purchases. She said the debit and credit cards were not missing from her purse, but said the purchases totaled to over $500. One purchase had been made for sneakers and another had been made for clothing. Officers requested purchase information from both stores. Upon receiving the purchase information, officers found that the victim’s roommate, an 18-year-old female, had made the purchases without the victim’s consent. Officers interviewed the suspect, who admitted to both thefts. The suspect was arrested and charged with two counts of petty larceny and one count of identification theft. The suspect will appear in Vestal Town Court.