The adage "buyer beware" is particularly true when it comes to in-person deals arranged through Craigslist.
Tom Kim tells WXYZ how his iPhone was snatched at a Warren gas station.
The latest warnings come from Warren, where police report say five prospective sellers of iPhones and other electronics were robbed recently by supposed buyers. Anu Prakash of WXYZ reports on the risks:
Tom Kim put an ad on Craigslist to sell his iPhone. He set up a meeting with a "buyer" at a gas station in Warren. When he got there, the buyer wasn't alone.
Tom says, "Before I handed him the phone, another person he was with punched me in the face, grabbed the phone and took off."
Warren Police say Craigslist crimes like that are on the rise. Investigators say it has happened five times in the last month.
"We've had it where a gentleman was selling an iPhone and the guy says: 'Let me see your iPhone to make sure it looks OK.' Then he pulls a gun on the guy and says 'Now it's my iPhone' and he's off on his way," says Warren Police Commissioner Jere Green.
Green suggests a sure way to separate scammers from safe buyers:
"I'd say meet me at the police station and I think you'll see a lot of people not wanting to meet you."
