We hate to break this to you, but crime at Christmas is as common as eggnog & ugly sweaters. The latest scam, according to the Gwinnett County Police Department Robbery Unit, along with other metro Atlanta agencies, has to do with a series of thefts and robberies in which the suspects posted fraudulent Craigslist ads as employees of Best Buy.
The first Gwinnett County case in this series occurred on November 29, 2013. This incident occurred in the parking lot of the Best Buy located at 1875 Pleasant Hill Road, unincorporated Duluth. Responding officers learned the victim had traveled to the business to purchase thirty Apple iPhone 5 cellphones. The arrangement was for the victim to buy the cellphones in bulk, at a discounted rate, from a party encountered on Craigslist. The seller told the victim that he was an employee of this particular Best Buy and that his employment allowed for the discounted rate.
Upon arrival in the parking lot, the victim met the suspect, who was wearing a Best Buy shirt, and identified himself as a co-worker of the seller from Craigslist. The “co-worker” suspect presented the victim with a computer generated invoice for the cellphones, which displayed the Best Buy logo. He requested the cash brought by the victim to purchase the Apple products. The victim produced $8,500 in cash. The “co-worker” suspect snatched the cash and ran out of the parking lot. 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.
Surprise!
Since November 2013, the Gwinnett County Police Department has received reports of eight additional incidents of similar criminal activity (for a total of nine), all occurring at the same Best Buy. The most recent incident occurred on November 12, 2014. The method of operation was similar in each case, with small variations. To date, victims in Gwinnett County have reported about $25,000 (total) in theft. Detectives discovered that the fraudulent Craigslist advertisements were also being posted in out-of-state markets, including Nashville, Tennessee, and Greeneville, South Carolina. Those particular postings required the buyer be willing to travel to the work location of the seller.
Please Note: Repeat this phrase five times: “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is too good to be true.” Thank you.
During the investigation, detectives identified three possible suspects: Cameron Thompson (B/M, 24 years old), Princeton Clayton (B/M, 31 years old), and Carey Carter (B/M, 21 years old). Detectives learned that other jurisdictions were receiving reports of similar activity, to include the Atlanta Police Department and the Dunwoody Police Department. As a result of the investigation, Carey Carter has been arrested and charged in two of the cases occurring in Gwinnett. Princeton Clayton was arrested in October 2014 for similar criminal activity in Atlanta, and Cameron Thompson was arrested in September 2014 for similar criminal activity in Dunwoody. Carter is currently charged with two counts of theft by deception and is in custody at the Gwinnett County Detention Center without bond. Clayton and Thompson have been released on bond.
The investigation of this series by the GCPD Robbery Unit is still active. Detectives are investigating the possibility of involvement by these suspects in the remaining cases.
Anyone with information on these cases can call Crime Stoppers at 404-557-TIPS.
Crime Stoppers tipsters remain anonymous and may receive up to $2000 for information leading to an arrest and indictment. To contact a GCPD Robbery Unit detective, tipsters should call 770-513-5300.
Click Here for Crime Stoppers Atlanta & the Best Buy Scam
