Springfield woman cited for scamming neighbors

A Springfield woman is facing three misdemeanor charges of false pretenses after police say she scammed neighbors into giving her money.
http://eagletimes.villagesoup.com/p/springfield-woman-cited-for-scamming-neighbors/1319740

Springfield woman cited for scamming neighbors By SAMANTHA TIGHE | Mar 20, 2015 WHITE RIVER JUNCTION — A Springfield woman is facing three misdemeanor charges of false pretenses after police say she scammed neighbors into giving her money. It is alleged that Holly Jagelski Aldrich, 47, has been approaching people in Chester and Springfield for months and asking for monetary handouts of up to $150. According to police, Aldrich had a formula which she stuck to — she would approach acquaintances and invoke familiarity by saying she knew family members or attended church with them. Then, police say, Aldrich would ask for money. According to an affidavit written by Detective Matthew Wilson of the Chester Police Department, Aldrich would tell individuals that her husband left her, she was broke and that she needed to borrow money to retrieve a $10,000 certificate of deposit [CD] from the bank. Aldrich would tell loaners that after she retrieved the money from the CD, she would pay them back. Often, the loaners would never hear from Aldrich again. "I started looking into this case and found that surrounding towns were reporting the same type of scam," Wilson wrote. Though these scams were being reported, police said they could not arrest Aldrich because these loan agreements were typically made verbally. In a few instances detailed in the affidavit, loaners would have Aldrich sign statements and have her give copies of identification, such as her passport and license. In January, the Springfield Police Department took to their Facebook page to warn residents about the scam, telling people to beware of the stories created by "Holly." "Please, the choice is ultimately yours, but be ... aware that the stories, no matter the tale spun, are lies. It's nothing more than a scam," the post reads. "And because it is a verbal agreement ... we can do nothing to criminally charge her." Aldrich was eventually cited on Feb. 25 for the scams. "I advised [Aldrich] that at this point she was only cited," Wilson wrote. "However if she continued these frauds after our conversation that she would be arrested again and lodged for a continuation of crimes." Aldrich appeared at court in White River Junction on Tuesday. She has pled not guilty to all three charges. 23 year old Jason M. Shaffer who also goes by the name of Todd Swan has a history of conning people out of money throughout Vermont. Avoid him and his hard luck stories or you may end up losing hundreds if not thousands of dollars.