A Brooklyn gang used a scam on craigslist.com to shake down New Yorkers with the lure of discounted iPhones, police said yesterday.
The scheme – which netted thousands of dollars from as many as 12 victims from all five boroughs finally came undone Wednesday night, when cops set up a sting on a Flatlands street corner and arrested four suspects.
Authorities said the ring posted ads promising bulk sales of discounted Apple iPhones – in at least one case offering 10 for $2,000 – and got the would-be customers to show up at desolate locations in Flatbush, East Flatbush and Flatlands.
When the victims arrived, the thugs robbed them at gunpoint, cops said.
“It was all a ruse to get the buyers with money in [the criminals’] comfort zone so they could rob them,” said Lt. Garfield Brown of the Brooklyn Central Robbery Unit.
In one particularly nasty holdup on April 10, the gun-toting robbers allegedly demanded cash from a 69-year-old man who showed up at with two children in the car.
The victim – who is believed to be the kids’ grandfather – scared the thieves off when he started honking the car’s horn.
The biggest haul came June 4, when the men made off with $2,000, the victim’s cellphone and a handheld navigation device, cops said.
The suspects – Orival Michael, 19, Elorge Zamy, 20, Ulyses Campbell, 18, and Christopher Tharvil, 19, all of Brooklyn – were charged with robbery, weapons possession and conspiracy to commit robbery.
The ring operated from March 8 to June 4, cops said. Its latest craigslist posting turned out to be its last.
An officer, posing as a customer, arranged a meeting at 8 p.m. Wednesday at Albany Avenue and Avenue K.
The suspects were arrested at the site. Cops said they found a loaded 9mm handgun in the men’s car nearby.
When the iPhone debuted in June 2007, it cost as much as $699. Prices have since dropped, and on Monday, Apple unveiled a $199 model. “These detectives did outstanding work, online and on the street,” Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said.
Four of the 12 robberies have been tied to the gang, and lineups are being conducted to see if they can be tied to eight others.
Additional reporting by Larry Celona and Lukas I. Alpert