We wanted to alert our readers to a scam going on in Antioch where unsuspecting sellers of items are being lured to the Hidden Glenn Dr. and Braemar St. area only to be robbed.
On Monday, one of our readers was attempting to sell his dirt bike after placing an ad on Craigslist. After being contacted, he was told to meet the buyer at an address at Stewart St off Hidden Glenn Dr where they are building homes. Upon showing up, he realized there was no house at that location but figured the person wanted to test the bike out in an open field.
A few minutes later, a black male approached and asked about the bike saying he was the buyer. He wanted to test out the bike and the seller agreed. That is when the black male took the bike and took off towards Laurel Road where it dead ends and exit through a narrow path.
The seller and his friend gave chase and while on the path, the bike stalled when the person had reached Canada Valley Road off Laurel. At that point, a number of other males who were in on the theft attempt jumped out of some bushes and began approaching the bike.
The seller and his friend were able to get the bike back and took off out of the area without any further incident.
In looking back, the seller admitted he should have known better when the number was listed from Chicago, IL and was a throw away phone. As soon as the realized the buyer gave a bogus home address, he should have just left right away.
Fortunately, this was a lesson learned without any bad consequences for a 21-year-old and 19-year-old.
Asked if they filed a police report with Antioch Police the boys explained they were too worried about simply wanted to get out of the area unharmed. By the time they realized what had happened, they figured it was too late.
It should be noted, in the past, some of our other readers have had similar experiences with electronic sales such as stereos, cell phones, and DVD players.
If you are planning on selling items in Antioch, be sure to do so in a public place and where there are lots of people around.
As the holidays approach and buyers and sellers are looking for deals online, be sure to remain on high alert and do some homework prior to meeting for a transaction such as looking on Google Maps.
Take precautions and always be sure to be aware of your surroundings.
