Crime & Safety

Bogus Craigslist Ads Lead To Robberies

Three Fairfax County incidents are under investigation.

Fake used-car ads on Craigslist have led to three recent robberies in Fairfax County. Two of the robberies occurred at the same location in the Newington area and the third in Clifton.  Virginia State Police are investigating.

In each incident, two male suspects in dark clothing robbed the victims at gunpoint, but police have not confirmed that the robberies are the work of the same suspects. 

"It looks like a legitimate car ad, but the price does tend to be too good to be true." said Fairfax County Police spokesperson Tawny Wright. "The bottom line is that people are posting ads with criminal intent. It's important for people to respond to these ads in a public place and in the daytime."

Find out what's happening in Burkewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The first incident occurred on Saturday, Sept. 10, at about 10 p.m. in the area of Pohick Road and Wadebrook Terrace in Newington. The two victims from Maryland, a 39-year-old Hagerstown man and a 34-year-old Temple Hills man, arrived at the location and were met by two men who demanded money. One of the men produced a handgun, and the victims turned over an undisclosed amount of cash. 

On Sunday, Sept. 25, a 41-year-old would-be car buyer from Hagerstowne, MD, was robbed by two masked males at 5:25 p.m. in the 13300 block of Ivakota Farm Road in Clifton. The victim fled the area before the suspects could rob him. 

Find out what's happening in Burkewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

On Tuesday, Sept. 27, the area of Pohick Road and Wadebrook Terrace was revisited by robbers at around 7:00 p.m.

The suspects in the incidents approached the victims on foot.  They are described as males between 5-foot-7 and 5-foot-10 and 175 pounds.

The website Off Grid Survival offers these safety suggestions for using Craigslist.

  1. Check out the sellers information – Ask for a phone number and an address. Take that information and check the names of the seller online to find out who you are dealing with.
  2. Ask a lot of questions – Ask as many questions as you can before going to buy the product. If the seller can’t answer your questions there is a good chance that he doesn’t actually have the product and could be setting you up.
  3. Don’t buy from sellers who only list an email address – This should be a red flag that the seller has something to hide.
  4. Meet in a public place – Criminals don’t want witnesses, meeting in a public place like a coffee shop or cafe can help ensure your safety.  Most of the criminals on Craigslist are looking for an easy target and are not very likely to rob you in a cafe full of people.
  5. If it sounds to good to be true it probably is  – A lot of these scams are pretty easy to spot. If the deal sounds to good to be true you are better off passing it up.
  6. Never go to a second location – If you arrive at the predetermined meeting place and the seller asks to go to another place this should raise some serious red flags.
  7. Don’t go alone.
  8. Show up early – If you are meeting in a public location show up early and scope out the area. Watch for the seller and make sure everything looks legit. If you have even the slightest concern that something seems out of place trust your instincts and leave.

Anyone with information about the robberies is  asked to contact Crime Solvers by phone at 1-866-411-TIPS/8477, e-mail at www.fairfaxcrimesolvers.org or text “TIP187” plus your message to CRIMES/274637 or call Fairfax County Police at 703-691-2131.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.