During an recent investigation into Honda wheel thefts that had been occurring in the City of Yonkers, members of the Yonkers Police Department Pattern Crimes Unit began to investigate various internet and social media sites in an attempt to locate stolen items that possibly may be listed for sale.   In the beginning of November of 2015, a Yonkers Police Officer located an advertisement on Craigslist offering a set of 2015 Honda CRV rims and tires for sale.  These rims were advertised for only $600, but were actually worth thousands of dollars.  An undercover Officer eventually met up with the seller to make a purchase, the seller was subsequently taken into custody and arrested for three incidents of wheel thefts here in Yonkers.  In this case, the price being offered for the rims should have been an immediate indicator to any potential buyer that these items were possibly stolen.  Trust your instincts, if its too good to be true it probably is!    

The undercover Officer involved in this investigation also located additional stolen wheels on Craigslist, which resulted in the arrest of a different suspect, who confessed to stealing rims in the Bronx and offering them for sale on the site.   

We would like to caution our residents when buying / selling items on Craigslist.  Although most users on Craigslist are law abiding, there are some precautions that our residents should take when using this site and others:

When meeting someone for the first time, please remember to:

• Insist on a public meeting place like a cafe.
• Do not meet in a secluded place, or invite strangers into your home.
• Be especially careful buying/selling high value items.
• Consider making high-value exchanges at your local police station.
• Tell a friend or family member where you're going.
• Take your cell phone along if you have one.
• Consider having a friend accompany you.
• Trust your instincts.

Taking these simple precautions helps make craigslist safer for everyone.

For more information about personal safety online, check out these resources:

• http://www.staysafeonline.org/
• http://www.onguardonline.gov/
• http://getsafeonline.org
• http://wiredsafety.org

Alert sent on 01/07/2016 at 2:08PM EST

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Alert delivered to the following groups: Yonkers Police Dept, Yonkers Police - Business Alerts, Yonkers Police - Press Releases, Yonkers Police - 2nd Precinct, Yonkers Police - 1st Precinct, Yonkers Police - 3rd Precinct, and Yonkers Police - 4th Precinct

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