Local News
Police say one victim’s stolen phone was later used to commit financial fraud.
Boston police are warning the public to be on alert following a recent string of cellphone robberies in the downtown area.
The Boston Police Department said the recent robberies happened in Downtown Crossing, South Station, and on Tremont Street, where investigators say a stolen phone was allegedly used to commit financial fraud.
The first reported robbery occurred between midnight and 1:30 a.m. Sunday outside a tavern in the 250 block of Tremont Street.
According to police, the victim had stepped outside to book a rideshare when an unknown suspect struck him and stole his cellphone.
Investigators said the suspect later used the victim’s phone to make unauthorized transactions through a mobile payment app, open a credit account in the victim’s name, and withdraw money from the victim’s bank account. Police didn’t say how much was stolen, and no suspect description has been released.
The following day, around 10 a.m. Monday, officers responded to another robbery at a business in the 600 block of Washington Street in Downtown Crossing. Police said a woman was standing at a register with her cellphone when a suspect approached, grabbed her phone, and ran toward Tremont Street.
Officers later located a female matching the suspect’s description near Washington and Summer streets and took her into custody without incident, according to police. The suspect, who was not named because she is a juvenile, is facing an unarmed robbery charge.
Later that day, at about 2:30 p.m., officers responded to another reported robbery at a business on Summer Street. Police said a suspect took a man’s cell phone from his hand before fleeing toward South Station.
Security officers found a knife nearby that surveillance footage showed the suspect had discarded before allegedly taking the phone, police said. Officers later located and arrested a man matching the suspect’s description on a commuter rail platform. He was identified as Dae-Quan Jatae Davis, 25, of Boston, and charged with unarmed robbery.
A records check also revealed Davis was wanted on an outstanding Boston Municipal Court warrant charging him with receiving stolen credit cards, credit card fraud, receiving stolen property, and identity fraud, according to police.
Police are urging people in busy areas to keep their phones secured in a pocket or bag, enable passcodes and location-tracking features, and use multi-factor authentication on financial and payment apps.
Investigators said anyone whose phone is stolen should contact their wireless carrier, remotely lock or erase the device if possible, change passwords for financial accounts, and notify their bank.
Anyone with information about the Tremont Street robbery is asked to contact Boston police District A-1 detectives at 617-343-4571. Anonymous tips can also be submitted by calling 1-800-494-TIPS (8477) or by texting TIP to CRIME (27463), according to police.
Morgan Rousseau is a freelance writer for Boston.com, where she reports on a variety of local and regional news.
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