Boston police seek men who allegedly stole thousands in fake donations

Boston police are seeking the public’s help identifying three men who allegedly cornered people outside stores Saturday and stole thousands of dollars from them under the guise of soliciting much smaller charitable donations. 

In each of the incidents, Boston police say the men pressured their alleged victims into giving money by credit card, either claiming to be collecting donations for a child who had been shot or a recently deceased brother. 

According to police reports, one woman told authorities the group surrounded her in the parking lot of a Whole Foods on Harrison Avenue in the South End shortly before 1 p.m. 

“The victim stated she was boxed in with nowhere to go, her back against a car and they wouldn’t take ‘no’ for an answer,” the police report stated.

Scared, the woman agreed to Venmo them $15, but the men allegedly asked her for a credit card to use on the Square app instead. She had already taken her card out when the men asked her for her cellphone, reportedly grabbing it from her hands without waiting for permission, according to police. 

The woman told police the men returned her phone and credit card while showing her a $15 charge, but she later discovered a text from her credit card company asking to authorize a $4,000 charge. The men had allegedly replied “yes” to the message, according to police. 

She told investigators the suspects were all Black men between the ages of 30 and 40 years old, and one had “RED” tattooed above his left eyebrow, per the police report. All three were also reportedly carrying a brochure memorializing a child who had supposedly been killed.  

Another woman told police she was walking into a Walgreens on East Broadway in South Boston when three men approached her around 3 p.m., asking for a donation. 

According to a police report, the men told her they were “from the city” and took her phone to show her their “credentials,” also asking for her credit card. They allegedly asked to swipe her card for $5, but charged her $5,000 instead. 

Less than 40 minutes later, another woman told police three men surrounded her as she walked into the Walgreens, again demanding a donation. When she asked if they accepted Venmo, they allegedly told her they only took credit cards, and one of the men asked to see her phone. 

“Before she could respond, the suspect forcibly took the phone from her hand and tapped it on their device,” according to the police report. “A second suspect then took her bank card from her hand and also used it to tap on the same device.”

After returning the woman’s phone and card, the men reportedly fled the scene. She told police she contacted her bank and learned the men had attempted to withdraw $15,000 but had only succeeded in withdrawing $5,000, according to the report. 

The incidents remain under investigation.

Boston police urged anyone with information to contact South Boston detectives at 617-343-4742 or South End detectives at 617-343-5619. Community members can also provide anonymous tips online, or by calling the CrimeStoppers Tip Line at 1-800-494-TIPS or texting the word “TIP” to CRIME (27463).

Abby Patkin is a general assignment news reporter whose work touches on public transit, crime, health, and everything in between.