A business on Bill Rutledge Road was billed more than $8,000 after someone hacked into the company’s phone system to make calls to Africa.
An employee of the business said he had been notified by Comcast that there was a problem with the account. The Comcast representative explained that the company’s phone system had been compromised allowing an unidentified person or persons to make hundreds of calls to Somalia on June 20.
On the date of the incident, the business was closed and no one was in the office.
The employee said the company’s information technology department was investigating the unauthorized use of the phone system as well.
The case has been forwarded to investigations.
Other recent incidents investigated by Barrow County Sheriff’s deputies include:
• fraud on Hwy. 53. A man reported over $2,129 in fraudulent transactions made using his checking account. The man suspects his ex-girlfriend is responsible.
• entering auto on Georgia Club Drive. A navigation unit and $3 in coins were stolen out of an unlocked pickup truck.
• complaint on City Pond Road. A homeowner was upset because another man was deliberately destroying speed bumps the homeowner had constructed on his dirt driveway. A deputy made contact with the speed bump destroying man’s wife who advised that she would speak to her husband about the issue.
• fraud on Caleb Drive. A man discovered 16 fraudulent transactions on his bank statement totaling approximately $2,000. The incident is under investigation by bank and Sheriff’s Office investigators.
• complaint on Jefferson Road. A man said his Chrysler 300 had tar on the rear quarter panel due to recent road repaving.
• harassing phone calls on Hwy. 211. A woman said she has been harassed for over a year by another woman. The other woman is under the impression that the complainant is seeing her boyfriend. The complainant also suspects the other woman of slashing her car tires.
• harassing phone calls on Jefferson Road. A woman who had been previously arrested for stalking said she received numerous phone calls from someone claiming to be a friend of her ex-boyfriend.
• harassment on Scott Road. A woman said her ex-boyfriend has been harassing her ever since she ended their two-month relationship. The woman said she is in fear for her life.
• criminal trespass on Michael Drive. A mailbox was knocked off its post and damaged.
• criminal trespass on Simeon Road. A woman said she was in her bedroom folding clothes when she looked out the window and saw a black male in her back yard. The woman said she called her husband who then called 911 because she feared the man was attempting to gain entry to her home. A deputy searched the area, but found no signs of an intruder.
• suspicious vehicle on Morrow Drive. A woman called the Sheriff’s Office after seeing a black pickup parked across the street from her house. The woman believed the vehicle was occupied by the boyfriend of a woman who had called her rude earlier in the day.
• entering auto on Commons Park. A man left his truck unlocked and later discovered that someone had stolen his shotgun, rifle, iPod, his GPS unit, a flashlight and his satellite radio receiver.
• criminal trespass on Marcel Park. A woman reported that her yard had been rolled. The woman said she believes her neighbor is the perpetrator.
• fraud on Sunrise Way. A man discovered that his debit card had been used to make fraudulent purchases while he was out of the country. Bank representatives advised that the card had most likely been skimmed.
• complaint on Gann Court. A woman said she was being harassed by her neighbor. The woman said her neighbor had complained about wood stacked outside the residence.
• theft by taking on Dooley Town Road. A deputy discovered mail stolen from a vacant Dooley Town Road residence at the camp site of a homeless person. The homeless person had been told previously to stay away from the vacant home. The homeless person was not present when the mail was discovered.
• criminal trespass on Hwy. 211. A man discovered that several engine components had been removed from various pieces of landscaping equipment. The man estimated the total damage to be approximately $4,700.
• theft by taking on Ode Peppers Road. An aquarium valued at $40 was reported stolen. The aquarium had been stored on the victim’s front porch.
• fraud on Corbin Drive. A woman reported that someone had used her debit card to make over $531 in unauthorized charges to her account.
• suspicious incident on Simeon Road. A woman reported hearing her doorbell ring in the middle of the night and said she saw a flashlight shining near her bedroom. No suspicious people were located in the vicinity.
• noise complaint on Independence Court. A woman complained to the Sheriff’s Office that her neighbors were making too much noise in their pool. The noise, which was still taking place after 11 p.m., was interfering with the woman’s ability to sleep.
• complaint on Matthews School Road. A woman reported that her cousin spoke to her while she was at her mailbox. The woman said she did not want her cousin speaking to her. The message was relayed to the cousin.
• theft by taking on Atlanta Highway. A woman was arrested after shoplifting over $55 in merchandise from Walmart.
• harassment on Simeon Road. A woman said her mother-in-law is harassing her at work and via Facebook.
• harassing phone calls on Hawk Creek Trail. A man received three calls in which the caller claimed to be standing in the backyard watching him.
• criminal damage to property on Bird Hammond Road. All the windows in a vacant home were broken. The total estimated damage is approximately $2,500.
• burglary on Patrick Industrial Trail. Approximately $1,200 worth of scrap metal was reported stolen.
• theft by taking on Brent Way Court. Several rolls of copper wire were reported stolen.
• theft by taking on Dee Kennedy Road. A fur coat valued at $7,200 was reported stolen.
• cruelty to children on Atlanta Highway. Three children were left unattended in a car at Walmart. The children were unharmed from the heat exposure. The mother was arrested.
• complaint on Chimney Trace. A man called the Sheriff’s Office after observing someone riding an ATV on his neighbor’s property. The neighbor was out of town and the man was watching the property for him.
• property damage on Dee Kennedy Road. Two mailboxes were damaged. The deputy was unable to determine if a vehicle had struck the mailboxes or if the damage had been caused in a different manner.
• shots fired on Laurie Williamson Road. A woman said she heard gunshots in the area. The responding deputy heard nothing. The woman said she has experienced several strange incidences recently.
• suspicious activity on Cavern Trail. A woman called the Sheriff’s Office after a man rang her doorbell after midnight and asked to use the phone. The woman refused. The woman believes her home was a target for burglary, but that the man changed his mind when he realized someone was home.
• criminal trespass on Autumn Avenue. A window was broken out of a car. The total damage was estimated to be $500. Nothing was stolen.
• criminal trespass on Bankhead Highway. The windshield of a truck was broken by someone using rocks.
• theft on Hwy. 124. A red 2000 Honda Civic valued at $6,000 was reported stolen. The vehicle was parked in front of the owner’s residence at the time of the theft.
• burglary on Beaver Hill Drive. Over $5,400 worth of personal property was reported stolen. Items included a motorized wheelchair valued at $4,700 as well as tools and small appliances.
• fraud on Coosawilla Drive. A woman’s debit card number was fraudulently used to make over $662 worth of online purchases.
• theft by taking on Atlanta Highway. A lawnmower, battery and floor jack were reported stolen.
• verbal dispute on Atlanta Highway. A deputy was dispatched to Walmart after two females began arguing over a parking space.
• theft by taking on McElhannon Road. A guitar amplifier was reported stolen. There were no signs of forced entry at the residence.
• animal complaint on Smith Mill Road. A man said his neighbor’s dogs got into his chicken pen and killed 18 of his chickens.
• complaint on Windy Trail. A man called the Sheriff’s Office after the neighbor’s lawn service man failed to clean up clippings that had blown into the adjoining yard as he mowed grass along the property line.
