Area law enforcement is warning residents to use caution and be aware of their surroundings when using a cell phone in public, and to not share cell phones if asked by a stranger.
The warning comes after the Morgantown Police Department said they are currently investigating numerous incidents of theft and fraud relating to cell phones and mobile payment apps in the area.
MPD Deputy Chief of Police P.J. Scott told The Dominion Post the first incident was reported in October 2022 and since then about 20 additional incidents have been reported to the department. He said there are three suspects they are aware of.
According to Scott, most of the incidents occurred in the downtown area of Morgantown in the evening/late night.
In most cases, police say suspects allegedly approach the victim and ask to borrow their phone to make a call.
Once the suspect gains access to the phone, they quickly use a mobile payment app — such as Venmo, Zelle, PayPal, Apple Cash, or others — to send a payment to another account.
“It takes less than a minute to complete a transaction,” Scott explained. “The victims have not typically noticed the transactions until the next day.”
An average of $1,000 was transferred from the victim’s accounts per incident, he said.
In some instances, MPD said cell phones have been stolen as victims were talking or texting on them.
Of the reported incidents, about half of the phones were stolen and half borrowed from the victim, Scott said.
MPD advises community members against sharing your phone with strangers, and recommends using any auto-locking features or enhanced security settings, like passcodes and facial identification, for mobile payment apps.
Any information regarding the investigation of these incidents can be reported to the Morgantown Police Department.
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