Gunpoint robberies prompt police warning about online classified-ad purchases

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This article was published 08/11/2023 (1060 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Police are urging Winnipeg residents to remain cautious when responding to classified ads online after two men were robbed at gunpoint over the weekend.

While neither victim was injured as a result, the violent nature of the crime is concerning, and online platforms — including dating and virtual marketplace services — are a common avenue for criminals to prey on unsuspecting people, police say.

“These things move fast and quickly,” Winnipeg Police Service spokesperson Const. Dani McKinnon said by phone Wednesday. “There’s a posting of an online ad, you’re responding to it, an arrangement is made and then when you meet with said seller, you’re assaulted or robbed.”

On Saturday and Sunday, police responded to two similar robberies in the West End. In both instances, the victims responded to online classified ads and visited an area residence expecting to purchase a cellphone.

When they arrived at the meeting point, they were both robbed of their money at gunpoint by two suspects who fled the area.

Limited details about the investigation are available, but police said the suspects are two men with dark skin. No arrests have been made, and the major crimes unit is investigating.

Speaking generally, McKinnon said it is not uncommon for criminals to arrange sales at random addresses and confront victims on the street or in their vehicles. In other cases, suspects create false profiles, making them difficult to trace.

“We get these reports all the time, it’s just that usually they don’t involve this amount of violence,” McKinnon said.

“We have some where people plan to meet even for a dating situation, and then (the suspect) will end up assaulting the person and robbing them. They are relying on the public’s trust, in general. You think, ‘What are the odds it’s going to happen to me?’”

While the use of technology can complicate these investigations, charges have been laid in several similar crimes in recent years.

In January 2022, three men were charged after a man was shot while trying to sell a phone in the middle of the day on Stadacona Street. Police arrested the suspects shortly after, seizing several weapons, the stolen phone, drugs and $1,856 in cash.

A review of court records show charges were stayed against two of the accused, while the third was convicted Aug. 21 and received a custodial sentence, ultimately serving 291 days in custody with credit for time served.

In September 2019, one man was charged in four separate knifepoint robberies involving classified ads. In one case, he held a knife to the neck of a nine-year-old child — the son of one of his victims. Police ultimately caught the suspect after arranging to make a purchase from him.

In April of that year, police issued a public warning asking Winnipeg residents to suspend online classified sales as they investigated a string of four robberies. One of the victims was seriously injured after being shot several times in the head with an air pistol. Two youth suspects were arrested and charged.

In November 2018, a man and woman were charged with armed robbery after two separate incidents in which they lured male victims using classified ads. One of the men was robbed in a public location, the other inside a residence.

“It’s just not a wise plan,” McKinnon said of meeting sellers at uncontrolled locations. “That’s why we really encourage you to use the buy and sell locations at the police stations, and if you don’t want to go to that extent, go to somewhere else public.”

Police issued a number of other tips, including completing transactions during daylight hours in areas that have visible surveillance, carrying limited amounts of cash during transactions and researching the person you are expecting to meet online.

The Winnipeg Police Service’s major crimes unit is searching for suspects in Wednesday’s robbery. Investigators are asking anyone with information about the robberies to call investigators at 204-986-6219 or Crime Stoppers anonymously 204-786-8477 (TIPS).

tyler.searle@freepress.mb.ca