Suspect arrested in parking boot scam in Nashua
NASHUA, N.H. Sept 19 2021
The Nashua Police Department has issued a warning about an elaborate scam targeting people at shopping plazas. Police said the suspects are putting parking boots on vehicles and then demanding money from their owners.
Police credited a young woman for listening to her gut and acting on instinct when faced with these scammers. Her actions eventually led to an arrest.
That 19-year-old woman found a yellow placard on her windshield while she was at the Title Boxing Club on Spit Brook Road in Nashua on Monday.
“I read the note, and it basically said I’m parked illegally, but I’m there every week and always park in the same spot. And it’s never been an issue,” she said.
The woman did not wish to be identified, but she said along with the notice, there was a parking boot on her tire. The notice said a cash payment was needed or the car would be towed.
She was soon approached by a man claiming to work for a company called “New England Parking Solutions.”
“I wasn’t going to give him any money, and I told him I wasn’t going to give him any money because the whole thing seemed sketchy,” she said.
Police said that man is William Newman, 22, of Nashua and that he told the woman he was hired by the plaza’s property managers. The woman said she spoke to employees at some of the stores who contacted property managers.
“All the property managers said they don’t know what they’re talking about,” the woman said.
The shop owners then called police, who said quickly after arriving on scene they determined it was an attempted scam.
Nashua police Lt. Carlos Camacho said Newman was eventually arrested.
“For the scam itself, extortion and for criminal mischief and for another unrelated warrant,” Camacho said.
He credited the young woman for listening to her instinct and advised others to do the same if they find themselves in a similar situation.
“There are a lot of scams,” Camacho said. “People are always trying to take advantage of somebody else.”
Even though the woman never gave Newman money, police said it is unclear if there are others who may have fallen for the scam.
WMUR
