Two online ads to sell phones result in two robberies at gunpoint

Modesto police were warning online sellers to take extra care after two people selling phones were robbed within 12 hours Sunday. The incidents bear strong similarities.

Both began with advertisers on Letgo looking to sell their phones. Both involve at least one black male in his 20s robbing the sellers at gunpoint.

The first robbery occurred about 5:30 a.m. The buyer/robber requested the early hour, saying he had to be at work in Turlock by 6 a.m., Modesto Police Department spokeswoman Sharon Bear said Monday. The man, who used the name Magic Wayane on Letgo, met the seller on the 100 block of East Fairmont Avenue, just off McHenry.

The seller, asking $400 for a rose gold iPhone 7 Plus, arrived with a passenger. They told police a black male in his 20s walked up to the passenger’s window, asked to see the phone, then pulled out a black handgun and took the phone. The victims sped away.

Before being robbed, they said another black male adult was hovering at the end of an alleyway near them, but they were not sure he was with the gunman, Bear said.

The second incident was about 5 p.m. The victim was selling a red iPhone 8 and requested meeting at McHenry and Hintze avenues, but the buyer/robber instead had them meet at Sipherd Park, saying it was by a friend’s home, Bear said. The robber’s user name on Letgo was Bob Sanders, she said.

The seller, who also brought a passenger, parked. Again, a black male in his 20s approached the passenger side, Bear said. He asked to see the phone, and talked with the seller for a few minutes. While they were talking, a second black male in his 20s walked up, pointed a gun at the passenger and cocked it, Bear said.

The men took the phone for sale, as well as the driver’s wallet and the passenger’s phone.

Police long have warned that meeting in person to conduct a sale that began on Letgo, Craigslist or another online site can be dangerous.

“What we always recommend is that people go to a public place, somewhere with a lot of people and with video surveillance cameras,” Manteca police spokesman Sgt. Michael Aguilar told The Bee early this year after a similar crime in that city.

The Manteca Police Department even has made its lobby a “safe site” for transactions. Similarly, Waterford Police Services set up a “safe trading zone” in front of City Hall.

Anyone with information about the robberies is urged to call the Modesto Police Department at 209-572-9500 or Stanislaus Area Crime Stoppers at 209-521-4636. Callers to Crime Stoppers can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a cash reward. Tips also can be submitted via www.stancrimetips.org or by downloading the P3 app on a mobile device.

This story was originally published December 10, 2018 at 3:28 PM.