A crew that might be dubbed the “Best Buy Bandits” is luring victims to parking lots outside the electronics store with bait on Craigslist that promise a good deal on bulk purchases of iPhones.
The scheme has struck at least nine times at a Best Buy on Pleasant Hill Road in the last 12 months for a take of more than $25,000 and has also hit at stores in Atlanta, Dunwoody and elsewhere, said Cpl. Jake Smith of Gwinnett Police.
So far, three suspects have been arrested although it is unclear how many people may be involved, Smith said.
Gwinnett robbery detectives say the first case happened nearly a year ago when a victim told police he got robbed outside a Best Buy at 1875 Pleasant Hill Road after he brought $8,500 to meet a person who claimed to be a Best Buy employee who was going to sell him 30 Apple iPhone 5 cellphones. The fraudster told the mark he would get he phones at a discounted employee rate.
The thief was wearing a Best Buy shirt and produced an invoice with the Best Buy logo. When the victim produced the cash, the thief grabbed it and ran off, said Smith of Gwinnett Police.
“The investigation revealed that the suspect was not an employee, the invoice provided to the victim was a fake, and no Apple iPhones existed to which the victim was entitled,” Smith said.
Since November 2013, the Gwinnett County Police Department has received reports of eight similar strikes outside the Pleasant Hill Road Best Buy, the most recent last Wednesday, Smith said.
“Detectives discovered that the fraudulent Craigslist advertisements were also being posted in out-of-state markets, including Nashville, Tennessee, and Greenville, South Carolina,” Smith said. “Those particular postings required the buyer be willing to travel to the work location of the seller.”
During the investigation, detectives identified three possible suspects: Cameron Thompson, 24 , Princeton Clayton, 31, and Carey Carter, 21.
Carter has been arrested and charged in two of the cases occurring in Gwinnett. Clayton was arrested in October and charged with similar criminal activity in Atlanta, and Thompson was arrested in September 2014 for similar criminal activity in Dunwoody.
Detectives are asking anyone with information on these suspects or cases to call them at 770-513-5300 or Crime Stoppers at 404-557-TIPS, or visit www.crimestoppersatlanta.org. Crime Stoppers tipsters remain anonymous and may receive up to $2000 for information.
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