HOLLEY – In cooperation with the Governor’s directive and what we feel is in the best interest of our community and our staff, we are closing our village offices to the public.
Our critical staff will still be reporting to work providing necessary services. Any payments can be made by using the drop box located on the front of the Village Office Building or through online. (See the village’s website for directions: www.villageofholley.org).
We regret having to do this, but do feel this precautionary measure is necessary. If there are any questions or concerns, call the Village Office at 585-638-6367.
(Editor’s Note: An earlier post stated town meetings will be closed to public. That was in error, Town Supervisor Joe Sidonio said. The regularly scheduled meeting at 7 p.m. today will be open to the public.)
From Murray Town Supervisor Joe Sidonio
In light of rapidly escalating reports from the governor and department of health, the Murray Town Hall and the Highway Department offices will be closed to the public. Our staff will be reporting to work but will restrict their exposure in order to provide essential government services.
Please deposit any necessary documents in the drop box during normal business hours located by the front door. Include your name address and phone number so we can contact you if necessary.
We regret this decision. In the best interest of our community it has become necessary to help prevent the spread of the virus. This is a routine precautionary measure and not a cause for panic.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 15 March 2020 at 5:07 pm
Holley and Lyndonville school districts announced meals will continue to available to students even though school is closed for at least this week.
Lyndonville beginning on Tuesday will have grab-and-go breakfasts and lunches available for all Lyndonville students at no cost. Families may pick up meals via the drop-off loop off Housel Avenue on the campus. If families have transportation needs or questions, call 765-3101 or email Llamay@lcsdk12.org.
Holley Central School will provide meals and have them available for pick up at the Holley Elementary School bus loop and four other locations in the community – Clarendon Town Hall, Thomas Estates (bus stop loop), County Line Trailer Park (Gulf Road & County Line Road) and the Fancher-Hulberton-Murray Fire Hall.
The meals are expected to be available beginning on Wednesday. Holley parents and guardians are asked to fill out a short online form or call the school district’s food service director, Vickie Scroger, at (585) 638-6318 x2566.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 15 March 2020 at 3:16 pm
Both sites will offer limited access for patrons to return and borrow materials
The public libraries in Medina and Holley are closed until further notice, although both libraries intend to allow limited access for patrons to return and borrow books and materials.
Catherine Cooper, director of Lee-Whedon Memorial Library in Medina, said Lee-Whedon will be closed to the public to be in compliance with the Orleans County Health Department’s declaration of a state of emergency.
“Procedures to facilitate borrowing and returning materials will be announced,” she said in an email.
The Community Free Library in Holley will be closed to the public but will have staff in the building from 10 a.m. to noon each day to answer any questions, gather holds, and “organize your family’s needs,” Sandra Shaw, library director, said in a letter to the community.
She said the staff and Board of Trustees “want everyone to be safe during these trying times.”
Community Free Library has established following protocols so patrons can take out materials and return them.
• Staff will wipe down the books that come in the book drop and delivery (for as long as that continues), fill holds with books that have been wiped down and placed in bags with a family’s name on them. Staff will then call and tell patrons that the items are in the library foyer from 10 a.m. to noon for someone to pick them up. The front door will be relocked at noon.
• Staff will also place in the foyer applications for library cards and instructions on how to access Hoopla (videos and books) overdrive (eBooks and audio books) and Zinio (emagazines).
• No patron will have access to the library past the foyer “as this is for your safety and ours,” Shaw wrote in her letter.
• For copies of magazines, tax forms etc., call the library at (585) 638-6987 and ask staff to then put them in a bag with the patron’s name.
Photo by Tom Rivers: Ally Macey and her fiancé Jon Page watched the house with their apartment and three others burn on the night of Jan. 6. Without financial aid funneled through United Way of Orleans County, they don’t know how they would have saved enough for a security deposit on a new apartment. Community fundraisers have also helped the family and the other tenants in the building.
By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 11 March 2020 at 2:26 pm
Community Action and United Way helped family
(Editor’s Note: This is the beginning of a series on the different ways the United Way assists people in the community.)
HOLLEY – Despite Ally Macey and her fiancée Jon Page losing all their possessions in a Jan. 6 fire that destroyed their apartment building, she says they have a lot to be thankful for.
The couple had just got back after bringing their 4-month-old daughter home from the hospital. About 10:30 p.m. on Jan. 5, Macey said there was a loud noise and then she heard screaming. She looked out and the whole porch was on fire.
Photo courtesy of Ally Macey: Jon Page naps with his infant daughter Mira in the apartment he and his fiancée Ally Macey were able to rent because of receiving funds for a security deposit from United Way.
They had no time to grab anything but their daughter and the dog.
“I left barefooted in a nursing bra and sweat pants,” Macey said. “I sat in an officer’s car and someone brought me a blanket and a pair of shoes that were three sizes too small.”
She said a watermain had broken so there was not sufficient water to fight the fire. Firefighters, however, were able to contain the blaze from spreading to neighboring structures.
Macey said she is from California and has no family in the area, and she didn’t know where they were going to stay. A small bus came and took the occupants to the high school.
The next day, a friend took their dog, and they were able to stay with family of Page’s, but had no idea how they were going to find another apartment.
“We hadn’t planned on moving and had no money saved for a security deposit,” Macey said. “The Red Cross came and gave us basic necessities. We both work, so we didn’t qualify for help from Social Services. The next day, someone told me to call United Way. I was told they fund Community Action and other community services.”
Community Action gave them non-perishable food and money for a security deposit. Macey didn’t know at the time the money they received came from United Way and had been donated by a Rochester corporate donor for the specific purpose of helping people find housing.
Community Action also runs the Eastern Orleans Community Center in Holley, where substitute coordinator Rachael Escobar had opened up the site the night of the fire in case any of the displaced occupants wanted to come in there out of the cold. Escobar also knew there was a vacancy in the apartment building in which she lived, and after receiving the money for a security deposit, Macey and Page were able to rent it.
She said she doesn’t know what they would have done without the help from Community Action and United Way.
“The whole community has been awesome,” Macey said. “I’m so thankful and so grateful we are safe, but so sad at the same time because we lost everything. Within 30 minutes, the whole second floor was falling in. Two of our neighbors weren’t able to get their cats and dog out.”
She said every day she is reminded of the things they lost that can never be replaced, and they have a hard time sleeping because it was at night when the fire occurred.
She will forever be grateful to Community Action and United Way. The community is reminded that their donations all stay local to help people like Macey and Page.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 11 March 2020 at 9:40 am
HOLLEY – Village officials say a $4.5 million waterline and sidewalk project is expected to start in late April or early May and will take about a year.
The Village Board on Feb.11 accepted a $2,556,000 construction bid from a contractor on Tuesday to replace sidewalks and water lines in the village. Most of the project is along Route 237 and the northeast section of the village.
Mark Cerrone, Inc. of Niagara Falls submitted the lowest bid for the project. Grants will cover the majority of the costs. Holley is responsible for 20 percent of the sidewalk work and 40 percent of the waterlines.
The village will put in sidewalks and waterlines on East Albion Street, Park Place and East Union Street as part of its share for the project.
Since the bid was approved, the village has worked with the state Department of Transportation to secure its final approval.
The village was approved for a $1,780,000 federal TAP grant (Transportation Alternatives Program) to construct curbs and sidewalks that are compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The grant will allow the village to replace about one-third of the sidewalks in the village.
Cerrone’s share of the project includes sidewalks along Rt. 237 – both north and south of Rt. 31 to the village limits (from the water tower to the elementary school), as well as both sides of Geddes Street from Van Buren to Route 31, both sides of Perry Street, both sides of Morgan Street and the west side of East Avenue.
Holley also was awarded nearly $1.3 million from the state for upgrades to the water system through the Water Infrastructure Improvement Act, as well as the Intermunicipal Water Infrastructure Grants Program.
The waterline project includes 5,800 linear feet, just over a mile, and involves replacing 4- to 8-inch water mains with 8- to 12-inch water mains.
That project includes portions of South Main (from the water tower to Batavia Street), South Main from Jackson Street to West Albion Street, water service transfers only along North Main from West Albion Street to the high school, the northerly side of Geddes Street from Van Buren Street to Public Square, along with connections to existing waterlines at ends and side streets.
The village on Tuesday also approved a $318,100 contract with the Wendel firm for construction administration and observation services during the project.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 11 March 2020 at 8:49 am
Photo by Tom Rivers: Dan Seeler, owner of the Holley Falls Bar & Grill, asks the Holley Village Board for more parking enforcement in the downtown business district and also to extend the 2-hour parking limit from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Pictured from left include Holley Mayor Brian Sorochty, Deputy Mayor Kevin Lynch and Trustee Jim DeFilipps.
HOLLEY – The Holley Village Board was asked to extend a two-hour parking limit in the downtown business district from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Dan Seeler, owner of the Holley Falls Bar & Grill, said there are four businesses – Sam’s Diner, Lisa’s Dance Boutique, Dustin’s Pizzeria and Holley Falls Bar & Grill – that are open to at least 9 p.m.
He presented the board with a letter signed by 10 business owners in the downtown, asking for more parking enforcement and the extended hours for the parking limit. It is currently in effect from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Those business owners also asked the Village Board to send a letter to all the building owners in the downtown business district asking that employees, tenants and owners park outside the Public Square between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m.
Seeler also asked that 10-minute loading zone be allowed in front of Dustin’s Pizzeria and the Holley Falls Bar & Grill.
If the parking limit was extended to 9 p.m. that would require a public hearing and a change in the local law, village attorney John Sansone said.
The best way for immediate relief could be ticketing people or giving them warnings if they exceed the 2-hour limit, Holley Police Chief Roland Nenni said.
The Police Department can step up its enforcement of the 2-hour limit. Often that help ensure some people are not taking parking spaces beyond two hours.
Seller said he believes the board to should change the law so the 2-hour limit extends through 9 p.m. He said there many vehicles parked in the Square well past 6 p.m. He urged the board to extend the parking enforcement to 9 p.m. and encourage the building owners to have tenants and employees park outside the Square between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m.
Photo by Tom Rivers: The former Holley High School is shown today. Home Leasing is turning the building into 41 apartments for senior citizens, and also the village offices.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 10 March 2020 at 9:04 pm
Home Leasing getting close to finish line in $17 million transformation of old high school
HOLLEY – The former Holley High School should be ready for tenants on April 1 with the space for the village offices to be complete on April 15, village officials said during this evening’s Village Board meeting.
Home Leasing started construction in November 2018 on the $17 million transformation of the former school, turning it into 41 apartments and the village offices. The apartments will include one studio, 35 one-bedrooms, and five two-bedroom apartments.
Home Leasing has the top three floors done, said Ron Vendetti, the village’s grants manager. The company is focusing on completing the basement and the 6,000 square feet for the village offices.
Home Leasing also needs to finish site work for the property.
The Rochester was pushing to have the offices ready for the Village of Holley government on Feb. 1 with the apartments ready to be moved in by Feb. 15. Last month, Home Leasing was hopeful the building could be ready in March.
The village will vacant its office on the Public Square when it move to the former school building. The village will pay about $2,000 in monthly rent, and Holley also agreed to mow the lawn. The village also owns the parking lot for the site.
Lewis Passarell, a former Holley mayor, inquired with the Village Board this evening about the village’s commitment for the project, and how much Home Leasing will pay in tax revenue.
Vendetti, the grants manager, said the village, town, school district and county all pushed to make the project a reality and approve a PILOT (payment in lieu of taxes) that offers a discount on property taxes.
“Otherwise the school would have sat there the way it was until someone came up with the money to tear it down,” Vendetti said.
Home Leasing is paying $13,500 in a PILOT beginning in 2021. The $13,500 will be shared among Holley Central, the Village of Holley, Orleans County and the Town of Murray.
The 30-year PILOT agreement has the amount in payments increasing 2 percent each year until it reaches $23,973.90 in 2050.
The property hasn’t generated any taxes for about two decades and the village has been mowing the lawn for years at the prominent location at the corner of routes 31 and 237.
The village is getting ready for the move to the school. The board at its meeting today authorized spending up to $17,000 for office furniture – desks, tables, chairs and storage cabinets. Holley will have three offices, two cubicles and its main meeting room at the former school.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 6 March 2020 at 11:43 am
HOLLEY – The federal Environmental Protection Agency will soon be mobilizing crews in Holley for phase 2 of the cleanup at the former Diaz Chemical site on Jackson Street.
The EPA has already spent $12.5 million on the cleanup, using money from the Superfund. The EPA has removed buildings, pipes, drums and tanks. Only two warehouses remain from Diaz, which declared bankruptcy and abandoned the site in 2002. The company operated for about 30 years in Holley.
The next phase – thermal treatment of contaminated soil and groundwater at the site – will cost $20 million, the EPA said.
Because there are no viable responsible parties, Superfund covers the costs of the investigation and cleanup of the site, the agency said.
The EPA has been working on cleaning up the site for nearly 20 years.
“EPA has been unable to recover any funds from Diaz as a result of its filing for bankruptcy,” said Mary Gladkowski, spokeswoman for the EPA. “However, EPA has the funding for the entire phase two thermal treatment remedy in place. This phase of the cleanup will be operational by the winter of 2021 and is projected to take four to five years to complete with site restoration to follow.”
With phase 2, the EPA will tackle the contaminated soil on the 5-acre site. The soil poses a threat to the groundwater, EPA officials said.
The dirt can’t simply be carted off the premises until it has been treated to remove the contaminants. The EPA and a contractor will drill 600 wells, spaced about 13 to 15 feet apart, and install an underground system where the soil will be heated up. That will remove below-ground contaminates from soil.
Water vapors also will be collected and treated, and then filtered and discharged into the sewer.
Once the contaminant level drops in the soil, about 100 truckloads are expected to be hauled away to a landfill.
The EPA will have 100 truckloads of clean soil brought to the site. Project managers went over the work with the Holley Village Board last month.
John DiMartino, EPA remedial project manager, and Travis Young, a project manager with the Army Corps of Engineers, said some work could start this month, with contractors drilling test wells and crews starting to mobilize.
This summer soil will be excavated, with drilling and well installation. The first stage of the thermal treatment system will go in next winter through summer 2021. A second stage of drilling and well installation is planned for the spring-summer 2021 with the second stage of the thermal treatment system to be installed from winter 2021 to summer 2022.
A concrete cover is part of the project during the treatment stage. The concrete will be removed once the treatment is done.
The project will be substantially complete in the winter of 2023, according to the EPA timeline. A final layer of topsoil and grass will be added to complete the project.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 13 February 2020 at 2:42 pm
Tenants committed for about half of the 41 senior apartments
HOLLEY – The move-in date for the 41 senior apartments at the former Holley High School has been pushed back about a month to mid-March while contractors put the finishing touches on the ambitious project.
Home Leasing in Rochester started construction in November 2018 on a $17 million transformation of the former school, turning it into 41 apartments and the village offices for Holley.
The apartments will include one studio, 35 one-bedrooms, and five two-bedroom apartments. Home Leasing has tenants committed for about half of the apartments so far.
The company will offer tours of the school for community members from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Feb. 20. To go on the tour, no RSVPs are needed, but people should sign in that day at the American Legion at 5 Wright St. There will be tours every half hour with the last one at 6 p.m.
Home Leasing is still accepting applications for the apartments. For more information, click here.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 12 February 2020 at 10:59 am
Photo by Tom Rivers: Travis Young, a project manager with the Army Corps of Engineers, goes over phase 2 of a remedial action plan at the former Diaz Chemical site in Holley.
HOLLEY – The federal Environmental Protection Agency will have a big presence the next few years in Holley as it works on phase 2 of a cleanup at the former Diaz Chemical site on Jackson Street.
The EPA has already spent $12.5 million at the Superfund Site, removing buildings, pipes, drums and tanks. Only two warehouses remain from Diaz, which declared bankruptcy and abandoned the site in 2002. The company operated for about 30 years in Holley.
The EPA will now tackle the contaminated soil on the 5-acre site. The soil poses a threat to the groundwater, EPA officials said.
The dirt can’t simply be carted off the premises right now. The EPA and a contractor will drill 600 wells, spaced about 13 to 15 feet apart, and install an underground system where the soil will be heated up. That will remove below-ground contaminates from soil.
Water vapors also will be collected and treated, and then filtered and discharged into the sewer.
Once the contaminant level drops in the soil, about 100 truckloads are expected to be hauled away to a landfill.
The EPA will have 100 truckloads of clean soil brought to the site. Project managers went over the work with the Holley Village Board on Tuesday.
John DiMartino, EPA remedial project manager, and Travis Young, a project manager with the Army Corps of Engineers, said some work could start in March, with contractors drilling test wells and crews starting to mobilize.
This summer soil will be excavated, with drilling and well installation. The first stage of the thermal treatment system will go in next winter through summer 2021. A second stage of drilling and well installation is planned for the spring-summer 2021 with the second stage of the thermal treatment system to be installed from winter 2021 to summer 2022.
A concrete cover is part of the project during the treatment stage. The concrete will be removed once the treatment is done.
The project will be substantially complete in the winter of 2023, according to the EPA timeline. A final layer of topsoil and grass will be added to complete the project.
Holley Mayor Brian Sorochty asked the project managers what the land could be used for when the EPA is complete with the 5-acre site.
“I believe we’ll leave you a site that is suitable for commercial development,” DiMartino told Village Board members on Tuesday. “That is the goal. That is the plan.”
The EPA is sensitive to neighbor concerns during the construction and operation of the project. There will be air monitoring on site during the drilling and construction. The contractor on the project also is limited to no more than 75 decibels of noise that can heard by neighbors, although Young said that could be a tough standard to meet when contractors are drilling close to property lines by Jackson Street. If the drilling is a nuisance, the contractor may be asked to try a different drilling technique.
The contractor will drill during regular business hours Monday through Friday, and also was given permission to work on Saturdays. Young said the contractor’s employees will likely be from out of state and they will want that extra work day on most weeks.
The EPA is working with village officials on a preferred truck route. That may be Van Buren Street, rather than the recently repaved Jackson Street.
The EPA said it will do a mailing soon with Holley residents, detailing the project.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 12 February 2020 at 8:23 am
HOLLEY – The Holley Village Board accepted a $2,556,000 construction bid from a contractor on Tuesday to replace sidewalks and water lines in the village. Most of the project is along Route 237 and the northeast section of the village.
Mark Cerrone, Inc. of Niagara Falls submitted the lowest bid for the project. Grants will cover the majority of the costs. Holley is responsible for 20 percent of the sidewalk work and 40 percent of the waterlines. The village will put in some sidewalks and waterlines as part of its share for the project, which has a total cost of about $4.5 million, said Mayor Brian Sorochty.
The village has been approved for a $1,780,000 federal TAP grant (Transportation Alternatives Program) to construct curbs and sidewalks that are compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The grant will allow the village to replace about one-third of the sidewalks in the village.
That includes sidewalk along Rt. 237 – both north and south of Rt. 31 to the village limits (from the water tower to the elementary school), as well as both sides of Geddes Street from Van Buren to Route 31, both sides of Perry Street, both sides of Morgan Street and the west side of East Avenue.
Holley also was awarded nearly $1.3 million from the state for upgrades to the water system through the Water Infrastructure Improvement Act, as well as the Intermunicipal Water Infrastructure Grants Program.
The waterline project includes 5,800 linear feet, just over a mile, and involves replacing 4- to 8-inch water mains with 8- to 12-inch water mains.
That project includes portions of South Main (from the water tower to Batavia Street), South Main from Jackson Street to West Albion Street, water service transfers only along North Main from West Albion Street to the high school, the northerly side of Geddes Street from Van Buren Street to Public Square, along with connections to existing waterlines at ends and side streets.
Cerrone is expected to get started on the project soon and be complete in about a year before the state starts a milling and paving project on Route 237.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 10 February 2020 at 1:48 pm
Photos by Tom Rivers
HOLLEY – St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church in Holley celebrated a rededication Mass on Sunday afternoon after about five years of renovations and capital projects at the church.
The interior used to be an ivory white color and now includes stenciling and more colors, which church leaders say better highlights the craftsmanship in the building’s interior, and also adds to the worship experience.
Here is how the sanctuary looked in November 2015 before Swiatek Studios gave the walls a much different look and new carpeting was put down.
The sanctuary was off limits for Mass after Oct. 13 through Jan. 16. During that time, many of the Holley parishioners went to St. Mark’s Church in Kendall, which is included in the same parish.
The wooden pews were taken out of the church during the project, which added a new floor and carpeting, as well as lighting and audio improvements.
The altar includes this triptych mural of three paintings about Christ. The murals are recreations of a 1497 masterpiece by Pietro Perugino. The scene is a visual meditation on the theme of the Crucifixion. Presented in the center panel are the Crucified Christ, Blessed Mother and St John. On the left, St. Jerome the translator with his lion; and on the right, Mary Magdalene with her alabaster jar.
Here is how the altar looked before Swiatek added the ecclesiastical art.
Father John Arogaysami, the church’s pastor the past two years, supported the renovations. His predecessor, Father Mark Noonan, spearheaded the capital projects, which included a new roof on the church.
The Stations of the Cross artwork which previously were at the St. Rocco’s Catholic Church in Hulberton were painted to make the scenes more dramatic.
Dominic Seitmann was among the altar servers for the special Mass that started at 2 p.m. About 200 people attended the event.
Lorraine Pera, a long-time member of the parish, cut the ribbon near the altar to celebrate the conclusion of the project.
Lorraine Pera was led down the aisle by Father John Arogaysami.
Tom Widzinski, project chairman and business administrator for the parish, welcomes the parishioners to the Mass on Sunday. He thanked the parish for supported the project with their donations and for their patience during the work.
The color palette and stylization was heavily influenced by the Leo Frohe-stained glass windows. The windows were made in 1904, when the Medina sandstone church opened. The church is in the Medina Sandstone Hall of Fame in Medina.
“You can see that the stencil pattern that runs horizontally between the capitals is quite similar in design to the amber patterns in the upper portion of the windows,” Widzinski said. “If you look up and see the barrel vaulted ceiling ribs adorned with beautiful doily like lace over the subtle color gradations, you will gain a better appreciation of these architectural features.”
Altar servers prepare to lead clergy down the aisle for the Mass.
Sunday’s Mass was a very happy occasion for the parish.
Photo by Ginny Kropf: Ron Ayrault salutes the American flag after lighting a candle in honor of George L. Fox during the Four Chaplains service on Feb. 3, 2019.
HOLLEY – Veterans and church members will gather at the First Baptist Church in Holley on Sunday to remember four chaplains who gave up their lives to save civilian and military personnel as the SS Dorchester sank on Feb. 3, 1943.
The four chaplains gave up their life jackets when they were none left for others on the ship. The chaplains sang hymns and prayed together as the ship sank.
The local American Legion wants to keep the story of sacrifice alive. Veterans are asked to meet at the church at 9 a.m. on Sunday with the service to follow soon thereafter. The church is at 25 Geddes St.
John Pera, commander of the American Legion in Orleans County, and Ron Ayrault, chaplain for the Legion, will lead the service with will honor the lives of Methodist minister the Reverend George L. Fox, Reform Rabbi Alexander D. Goode (Ph.D.), Roman Catholic priest the Reverend John P. Washington, and Reformed Church in America minister the Reverend Clark V. Poling. All of the chaplains attained the rank of first lieutenant.
The service will include reading the biographies of each of the chaplain, lighting candles, placing wreaths, and playing taps.
The memorial service for the four chaplains will be part of the regular service at church. The service is open to the community.
Press Release, Roland Nenni, police chief for Albion and Holley police departments
ALBION/HOLLEY – The Albion and Holley Police Departments have received numerous complaints recently involving phone, mail and internet fraud. These complaints vary in how they are orchestrated but the result is always the transfer of funds that are nearly impossible to trace.
Some of the scams we have received are as follows, but these are only a few of the many fraudulent incidents reported:
• Victims receiving text messages stating that a clergy member of their parish is ill and funds are needed and to send the funds to various locations in the form of cash, gift cards and electronically.
• Victims receiving an item in the mail from Publishers Clearing House advising that they had won and needed to send funds electronically and in cash to various locations to cover the tax before they received their grand prize of over $100,000.
• Victim receiving a text message advising that they had been selected to be an undercover shopper to evaluate retail locations. The victim was instructed to call a specific phone number and to provide a mailing address to receive mail correspondence. After providing their mailing address the victim received items in the mail and instructions to purchase several Walmart gift cards in various amounts over $200 and to send the card numbers to various locations. They also needed to provide their bank account information so the funds could be placed back in their account to verify the account and information, and then additional funds will be provided for “Undercover Shopping.” The victim’s entire bank account was then emptied electronically.
These fraudulent incidents have resulted in thousands of dollars being stolen from the victims.
The Albion Police and Holley Police are working with our federal partners and financial institutions to investigate these crimes. However, there is little that can be done to find the persons responsible or to get the money back. The addresses used are ghost addresses and the electronic accounts where the funds are sent are fraudulently obtained with fake identification’s being used by the perpetrators.
The statement that “If it sounds too good to be true, means it usually is not true” is one of the best ways to determine if something is a scam. The other basic way of determining if something is fraud is to do a simple Google search of the phone number or other information given. The fraud complaints contained in this release will appear with a Google search.
Many of the scams involve fake websites, so use caution going directly to a website provided to verify the validity of the request or offer.
“The whole community has been awesome,” Macey said. “I’m so thankful and so grateful we are safe, but so sad at the same time because we lost everything. Within 30 minutes, the whole second floor was falling in. Two of our neighbors weren’t able to get their cats and dog out.”
