Craigslist Counterfeiter Scams Darien Victim Out Of $2,500: PD

DARIEN, CT — A Darien man who tried to sell a high-end camera through the classifieds website Craigslist last week was scammed by a counterfeiter for $2,500, according to Darien police, which is the latest counterfeit currency scheme to hit a victim in town.

The victim had placed an ad for asking for $2,600 for the camera on the site, and got a call on his cell phone from an interested party who said he was from Long Island. The two agreed to a final price of $2,475 and agreed to meet at the Starbucks on the Post Road on May 10.

When the victim arrived at the Starbucks, he saw a "Hispanic male with a thin mustache and black 'bun' style haircut,wearing khakis and a white button-down shirt, standing on the sidewalk holding a red and black duffle bag" who said he was the buyer, wrote Darien police in a statement.

"The complainant and the suspect entered Starbucks and sat down. The complainant showed the suspect the camera, and noted that the suspect didn’t seem to be familiar with cameras. When asked, the suspect said the camera was for his father. The suspect put the camera in his duffle bag, at which point the complainant asked for payment. At this time, the suspect produced a large amount of cash, displaying the bills to the complainant and counting out the total, $2,500. The suspect handed the complainant the bills and exited the Starbucks. The complainant stated he held one of the $100 bills up to the light, and did not observe a watermark which he knew should have been present."

At that point, the victim ran after scammer, chasing him to nearby Sedgewick Avenue where the scammer jumped "into a waiting sedan described only as white and bearing a NY license plate," which was also driven by another Hispanic man.

The victim then tried multiple times to text the suspect but never heard back.

"The bills, which consisted of 14- $100 bills and 20- $50 bills, were confirmed as counterfeit," wrote Darien police. "This investigation is ongoing."

Image via Shutterstock

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