Suspects use movie money to purchase items on Craiglist, other sites

By Justin Wier

jwier@vindy.com

YOUNGSTOWN

Multiple people selling goods on Craigslist and similar sites have met buyers who paid for the items with counterfeit money.

Youngstown police have received reports of seven or eight instances in the past week, which led them to alert the community.

The money, which suspects have handed to people folded while claiming they are in a hurry, appears to be real but is labeled with text reading “for motion picture use only” or Chinese characters.

Capt. Brad Blackburn, who leads the detective division, said the department wants to educate area residents so they don’t fall victim to the scam.

“It’s not human nature to examine money when it’s handed to you, but do your due diligence,” Blackburn advised.

It’s also important to meet in public, he said

Detective Sgt. Michael Cox said the suspects have used sites including Craigslist, Let Go, Offer Up and local buy, sell and trade pages on Facebook.

The suspects have targeted unsuspecting people selling iPhones, XBoxes, PlayStations, Beats headphones and other electronic items of a similar value.

Many of the meetings have taken place in and around Mahoning Avenue on the city’s West Side, Cox said.

Some victims immediately noticed the money was fake, while others tried to contact the suspects after returning home. Suspects either blocked victims accounts or insisted the money was real.

Blackburn said people believe they’re getting a good deal but end up without the item and with counterfeit money they can’t spend.

Youngstown detectives have identified three suspects, but only one, Robert E. Wilson III, has been charged.

The money is readily available online, he added, so he expects the number of instances to increase with time.