01-25-2012: Craigslist Robberies By Appointment on Rise


Police nationwide are warning of a sharp rise in Internet-related crime called “‘robbery-by-appointment,” with cops in one city even suggesting people meet at the station house to complete their transactions.

In a typical case, somebody with something to sell–an old laptop, let’s say–goes online to find a buyer by using Craigslist or some similar service. The seller finds a buyer, and the two agree to meet in person to consummate the sale. But when they meet, the seller gets robbed (and maybe beaten up or worse) by his “buyer.”

So common have these crimes become that in Oakland, Calif., the police have created a special investigative unit devoted to combating them. “They’re getting more blatant and more violent,” an Oakland police spokesperson says. “The last victim got pretty beat up.”

In Washington state, one robbery-by-appointment ended in death, when a man who had a diamond ring to sell was shot dead by robbers who showed up, supposedly to buy it.

Experts say many of these robberies are happening in broad daylight and in neighborhoods believed safe. They recommend meeting in a busy public place as one way of decreasing the odds that you’ll be taken.

In Milwaukee, police are recommending that anybody worried about becoming a victim meet his buyer (or seller) at the safest place in town–the police station itself. Six Craigslist-related robberies have occurred in one Milwaukee district in the past month, reports the Journal-Sentinel.

“If they don’t want to meet you at a safe place, if they don’t want to meet you at a police district, that should be a red flag, an indicator: Don’t do business with that individual,” police officer Lisa Staffold told the newspaper.

Maybe she should have stressed “in” the station: In Bogata, N.J., a seller met a buyer a few blocks from the police station but wound up being relieved of his MacBook at gunpoint.

11-14-2011: The following scam is occurring frequently in the Erie area:



The two cell phone numbers are as follows:

876-522-0173(his work cell phone)
876-278-9341(his personal phone, he said)

Both of them had "JM" on the Caller ID screen, which is Jamaica

He said his name was John Scott and he had a thick accent that was definitely Caribbean, and I would know that after a year or so in Puerto Rico in the 60's.

He told me I won a sweepstakes in Las Vegas, which was where he was calling from , he said. And yet, I heard a rooster crow three different times during our conversation. When I asked about it, he said that was his alarm clock, so why did I hear a door slam? Anyway, the sweepstakes was in the amount of $285,000, which he was going to send to me via UPS. He asked if we still lived at xxxx some Rd in Erie County and actually asked for Ron first until I told him I was his wife. Now I will tell you our phone number started with xxx, not 456. So long story short, here was my task. I was to go to a Wal-Mart and get a "Green Dot 14-digit Money Pack Scratch Card"(what in the Hell is that). I was to give the cashier $285, take the receipt back to the house and he would call me. If he did not call in 90 minutes, I was to call him, using the second number. He told me the $285 was 1% of the winnings to offset taxes that Las Vegas was not able to recoup in my favor. But, not to worry, UPS would give me a check in the full amount as it was waiting at the UPS office in Erie County. I say this respectfully, xxxx is too small for a UPS office. They will be lucky if the Post Office stays open. Lastly, I did not have to do the math to know that 1% of $285,000 is $2850. When I never called him back, he called me in about 2 hours and he was not happy because I said I wasn't going to do all of that. I told him what jack Daneri told me to tell him and was to take my share off the top. He got nasty, rude and vulger, so I hung up. He called back several times. I didn't answer and my day moved on.

Neighborhood watch members reporting scams (10-03-2011).

I am replying to that last bulletin that went out about the invasion on Davenport Avenue. As I reported at the monthly meeting at the library, this sounds like the same group that were preying on the elderly couple in my neighborhood---the 1300 block of West 29th Street. The gentlemen are in their 30's-40's, approximate 6 feet tall, one for sure was white. They were offering "free" roof repairs, also had a very nice white truck--but without ladders--so how were they going to get up on the roof. The other two men entered the house after the owner was led outside to look at his roof, but one inside, encounted the owners wife. She said he wanted a bucket of hot water and when she turned her back to get it, the other one went into their bedroom. Fortunately, nothing was taken. I am afraid that these are the same people working in this area. Would you please send this to everyone in the neighborhood watch. RobbinsBlass Neighborhood Watch

September 28, 2011

at approximately 4 pm a tall black male with shoulder length dreadlocks
wearing a navy long sleeve shirt, black pants,black shoes carrying a black
courier shoulder bag was observed peering into windows at 538/540 West 8th
both main building and carriage house as well as 546 West 8th St. He was
seeen walking around the backyard area and the property is clearly posted
"NO TRESPASSING". Last seen heading West on 600 block of West 8th St.
changing sides of the street multiple times.
EPD notified. Watch captains notified. Residents of property notified.
Attempting to reach owner of 538/540 West 8th St. unsuccessfully as of this
email. West Side Saints Neighborhood Watch.

Received from a Erie County Neighborhood Watch Member 09/30/2011. This is at least the second reported scam of this type in the Erie area.


Something happened in my neighborhood this week that has alarmed me.

Several days ago, my neighbor went to visit an elderly neighbor. When she approached the house, she noticed that there was a very nice white truck outside with a man inside. She proceeded to go to the door and when she entered the house, the man that had been sitting in the truck was behind her and also entered the home. There was a man inside talking with the elderly lady and said they were going to do some work on her house. He continued to say the cost would be $300.00 check or $180.00 in cash. The second woman replied , "she doesn't have that kind of money" and he said then he would accept a check. The men were talking very fast and finally said they would have to go get some supplies.

The second woman asked the elderly neighbor why she had a small bucket of hot water in her sink.. The neighbor said that the man said he needed a bucket of hot water and could she show him where the buckets were. My elderly neighbor had gone into the basement with this "big man".

I am in tears as I am typing this just thinking what could have happened. I do not have the permission of either woman because they are scared. I have tried to convince my neighbor to call the police, but she refused.

All I can tell you is that the truck was white and very nice. It did not look like a "work truck". The men were darker skinned, possibly Spanish or Columbian. That is the only description that I have.

I do not know how the first man got in the house. The elderly woman said, "he just walked in". He said he had shoveled her walk last winter and he noticed that she needed some repairs.