Facebook Marketplace Deals Turn Dangerous in CT Robbery Cases

According to WTNH and Yahoo, police in New Haven are looking into two separate robberies that happened just hours apart—and both incidents appear to be connected to meetups arranged through Facebook Marketplace.

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The first situation unfolded early Saturday evening on Batter Terrace. Investigators say the victim had set up a deal online to sell a cellphone. When the two met in person, the suspect allegedly acted like he had a weapon, even though one was never actually shown. The phone was taken, and the suspect took off.

Just a couple hours later, police were called to Diamond Street for what sounds like a near-identical situation. Another person had arranged to sell a cellphone through Facebook Marketplace, met up with the buyer, and had the phone snatched before the suspect ran away.

Authorities say both victims described the same individual—a man in his early 20s wearing a dark hoodie and light-colored sneakers—so it’s looking more and more like this wasn’t random.

Now let me jump in here for a second, because I’ve been screaming about this for years… this is exactly why meeting random strangers off the internet to sell stuff is a terrible idea. I don’t care if it’s a phone, a couch, or your grandma’s old toaster—this setup is just begging for something to go sideways.

Like what are we doing? “Yeah, I’m gonna meet a total stranger behind a strip mall to sell a used phone for a couple hundred bucks.” What could possibly go wrong? It’s wild to me that people still think this is a good idea.

@natebargatze Anyone else have a spouse that uses Facebook Marketplace? #wife #facebookmarketplace #natebargatze ♬ original sound - Nate Bargatze

There are safer ways to do this. Meet at a police station, bring someone with you, or better yet, don’t do it at all if something feels even slightly off. No deal is worth putting yourself in a risky situation.

Police are asking anyone with information to come forward, but the bigger takeaway here is simple—be smart. Because these kinds of setups? They’re becoming way more common than people realize.

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