CPD warning Facebook Marketplace users of armed robbers

(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Police are warning Facebook Marketplace users about armed robbers posing as sellers on Chicago’s Near West Side.

Two robberies happened in the same spot earlier this month - on Fridays in the middle of the day and one week apart. Area Three detectives say in an alert they started under the guise of selling a motorbike through Facebook Marketplace.

Police say when the buyer showed up at Warren Boulevard and Francisco Avenue, between two and four armed men or young men in masks threatened the victims and took their cash before running or walking away.

Detectives encourage people to warn loved ones who use the platform and to schedule meetings at a police station.

Chicago Police detailed how to meet a buyer at police stations around Chicago in a video posted to X, formerly Twitter.

People looking to use a police station as a safe and neutral place to meet a buyer can let officers at the station know what they are doing there in case there is an emergency.

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