Maryland Car Buyer Taken for Ride By Florida Craigslist Seller

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By SHERRI LONON (Patch Staff)

The latest proof that it’s a buyer beware kind of world crosses two states and involves more than $3,000 in stolen cash.

The case in question unfolded Feb. 27 when a person who lives in Greenbelt found a car worthy of purchase on the Craigslist buy/sell/trade site. Wanting to stake a claim to the ride, the buyer contacted the seller and agreed to send more than $3,000 in “Reloadit” prepaid cards to seal the deal.

The problem, according to the St. Petersburg Police Department, is the ride doesn’t ever seem to have been for sale. Those cards were sent to an address in Jacksonville, FL. That address, police said in an email to media, has been used several times in the past to part online buyers and their money.

This time around, however, police say they have a lead on the suspect and they’re hoping for some help identifying the man in question. It seems those “Reloadit” cards were traceable and they turned up as payment for more than $3,000 in goods from St. Petersburg, FL, area Walmart and Publix stores.

Lucky for the cops, but unlucky for the thief, the person who used the ill-gotten cards was caught on surveillance and so was the vehicle he was in.

Craigslist sellers have been implicated in a number of crimes in recent months. Earlier this year, a Georgia couple was killed while trying to conclude a Craigslist deal. This month, a Colorado woman had her fetus cut out of her womb while reportedly attempting to purchase baby clothing. While she survived, the baby did not.

Surveillance images courtesy of the St. Petersburg Police Department