Friday, Nov. 06, 2009

Police | Officials warn of fraud, scams in North Myrtle Beach

Police

North Myrtle Beach

Officials warn of fraud, scams

The North Myrtle Beach Department of Public Safety is warning residents about a rash of fraud and scams in the area recently.

According to officials, residents and visitors should be aware that there are three types of scams currently being operated in North Myrtle Beach:

People advertising items for sale are receiving sums of money larger than what they are requesting for those items. This payment of money is coming from individuals by fraudulent means: counterfeit checks, money orders, etc. Those individuals then request the victims to wire Western Union the extra money they received to a third party, usually indicating the third party is a transport person. Once the victim cashes the checks or deposits them in their bank account and wires the money to the third party, the victim is then responsible for the fraudulent checks.

Victims are contacted about winning a large amount of money and are instructed to wire Western Union a small percentage of the winnings to a third party.

Young adults and teenagers have been contacting people door to door and in business parking lots and asking people to buy magazine subscriptions. Police say the individuals are asking for personal information and warn residents not to give personal information to strangers.

Anyone who has questions or need to report a fraud or scam, please call the North Myrtle Beach Department of Public Safety at 280-5511. Call 911 first in the case of an emergency.

North Myrtle Beach

Fire caused by faulty light

A faulty light caused a fire at a North Myrtle Beach beachwear store, fire officials said Thursday.

North Myrtle Beach Fire Chief Tom Barstow said investigators determined that a light in the front window display malfunctioned and caused the fire Wednesday at the Pacific store on the corner of 27th Avenue South and U.S. 17.

Fire officials closed all of U.S. 17 in the city for nearly an hour Wednesday as they battled the blaze, which was contained to the front corner of the store, according to Nicole Aiello, public information officer for North Myrtle Beach.

No one was hurt during the fire, and the store was closed at the time.

North Myrtle Beach

Man in house fire identified

The identity of a 65-year-old man killed in a house fire in North Myrtle Beach was released today.

Tommy Hudson, 65, died Wednesday morning from smoke inhalation, Horry County Coroner Robert Edge said Thursday following an autopsy.

Hudson lived alone in his home in the Waterway View community on the Intracoastal Waterway near Eighth Avenue North, officials said.

Horry County

Horry 911 venter named best in state

Horry County's 911 emergency dispatchers were selected as the 2009 South Carolina "Communications Center of the Year" during a conference of emergency officials, Lisa Bourcier, county spokeswoman said Thursday.

The award was presented Friday to county officials by the state's Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials-International/National Emergency Number Association.

During the fiscal year 2009, Horry County 911 dispatchers answered 221,693 calls and dispatched 190,962 incidents. They have a staff of 54 people, and all the telecommunicators are certified by the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy and are trained to provide medical pre-arrival instructions to assist patients before the ambulance arrives.

Myrtle Beach

Man reports being robbed by 2 men

A Myrtle Beach man told police two men, one armed with a gun and the other with an ice pick, robbed him outside his apartment, according to a police report.

The 59-year-old man said he went to his car at 8:40 p.m. Monday and was approached by two men who took his watch after they threatened him, police said. The watch was valued at $10.

Local

North Myrtle Beach

Citywide cleanup, plus church challenge

There will be a citywide cleanup from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday in North Myrtle Beach, which is sponsored by Keep North Myrtle Beach Beautiful.

On the same day, "Tending God's Garden" ministry is challenging all churches in North Myrtle Beach and surrounding areas to come out and help clean up the community, said Randy Fisher, coordinator of Tending God's Garden. The program's goal is to get churches throughout the Strand to become environmental stewards, to increase efforts in the area of sustainability and to reach out to the community through cleanup efforts and projects, Fisher said. A group will be coming from Conway to help clean in North Myrtle Beach, Fisher said.

On Saturday, residents can drop unwanted items off at Roses in Windy Hill at 3500 U.S. 17 S., the old Food Lion parking lot at 811 U.S.17 S. and Creek Side in Cherry Grove. If residents are unable to get their discarded items to the drop locations, they can leave items curbside for pick-up on Monday.

For more information about the citywide cleanup, please call Gregg Barnhill at 280-5673. For more information about the Tending God's Garden program, please contact Randy Fisher at 455-7392.