A Roselle Park man was arrested after he scammed a Newark man out of $700 for a fake iPhone 6 Plus on Craigslist, police say.
According to police this past Tuesday borough detectives conducted a follow up investigation in response to a victim from Newark reporting that he was allegedly scammed by a male who posted a “New Unlocked 128G Gold IPhone 6plus” for sale on Craigslist.
The victim than told police that he met the later identified, 47-year-old Patrick M. Roberson, at the Roselle Park train station to make the purchase. Victim paid $700 in cash in exchange for a sealed box containing the fake iPhone, cable, charger, and headphones.
Police said, the iPhone was a very accurate "dummy" phone. The phone, accessories, box and even the packaging were very detailed replicas with a serial number and IMEI number displayed on the box, they added.
The victim figured out the phone was fake after he plugged it in and tried to power it up, police said.
Detectives made contact with the seller through the same Craigslist advertisement. Upon positive identification, Roberson, was found to be in possession of 2 more sealed boxes that purported to be IPhone 6plus'. The serial numbers and IMEI numbers were identical to the phone purchased by the victim the previous day.
At police headquarters Roberson admitted purchasing the 3 phones from a website based in China for $200. Roberson was charged with theft by deception a 3rd degree crime and released with Superior Court date of February 18, 2015.
Residents are warned against purchasing high end items from unknown parties through the Internet. Most high demand items that are sold on the internet and purport to be “new” at well below retail prices are usually counterfeit, frauds or may be a set up for a more sinister crime.
Police warn residents to be especially cautious from sites or sellers that demand CASH ONLY or require personal meetings in order to exchange high amounts of cash.
Chief Paul W. Morrison advises residents to contact police if they have been victimized with any similar scams.