Stafford, VA. The Stafford County Sheriff’s Office is urging the public to use caution when selling items online in the wake of two recent larcenies involving victims who attempted to sell items through Craigslist and were paid in counterfeit money.

On January 11, 2019, Deputy Whitt responded to the 200 block of Dover Place regarding a larceny in progress. Upon arrival, she made contact with the victim who advised he had recently placed an ad on Craigslist offering to sell his Apple watch for $300.

A male subject who identified himself only as “Phillip” reached out to the victim asking to meet so he could buy the watch. When they met, Phillip paid the victim and began walking away. The victim then realized he had been paid in counterfeit money. The bills felt different than usual and “For Movie Use Only” was printed on the back. At that point, he could see the subject running away in the distance.

Additional units arrived on scene and Deputy Smith and his K9 partner, Lobo, attempted a track, but were unable to locate the suspect.

In addition, on January 13, 2019, Deputy Runnerstrom handled a complaint involving another Craigslist transaction that ended in a larceny. The victim told the deputy he had placed an ad on Craigslist to sell his laptop computer and accessories. He was contacted by an individual who agreed to buy the laptop for $500.

The victim met two male subjects in the area of 200 Dover Place. They exchanged the laptop and accessories for money and the two male subjects began walking away. The victim then began examining the money, and realized it was counterfeit. The victim yelled at them to stop and gave chase, causing one of the subjects to drop the laptop and keep running. He was unable to locate the other male subject who had his computer accessories.

Both investigations are ongoing. Anyone with information on these incidents in asked to contact the Sheriff’s Office at (540) 658-4400.

The Sheriff’s Office would like to remind residents of the safe exchange zones in front of the Public Safety Building located at 1225 Courthouse Road. There are two parking spots available that provide a safe and well-lit place for the public to exchange goods or conduct custody exchanges in a law enforcement protected environment.