MOBILE, Alabama – A Mobile man and woman are facing a combined 38 fraud-related charges after Mobile Police say they ran a scheme that lured buyers with Craigslist electronics listings only to hand over household junk instead of the advertised devices.
The man, 34, was arrested Tuesday on 21 counts of fraudulent use of a credit card along with single counts of identity theft, second-degree theft and third-degree theft by deception. At the time of his arrest, he was already out on bail from a separate third-degree theft by deception charge tied to an earlier arrest by Mobile County deputies on Dec. 9.
His fiancee, also 34, was arrested on 17 counts of fraudulent use of a credit card in connection with the same investigation, according to a Mobile Police Department spokeswoman.
The case first surfaced after a buyer responded to a Craigslist ad for an iPad Mini in late November and arranged to meet the seller at a gas station. According to a deposition filed in court, the buyer paid $300 for what he believed was an iPad Mini and an iPhone 4S. As the buyer began opening the boxes to verify the contents, the seller said he needed to leave for church and departed. The buyer told investigators he then discovered the iPad box contained only a paper notebook, while a separate complaint filed in court alleges the iPhone box contained melted wax rather than an actual phone.
Investigators say the case expanded well beyond that single transaction. According to police, the investigation uncovered additional victims who had similarly responded to Craigslist listings for electronics and instead received packaged household items in place of the devices they believed they were purchasing.
Separately, police allege a stolen credit card connected to the case was used 21 different times, leading to the arrest of both the man and his fiancee on the fraudulent credit card use charges.
Mobile Police are asking anyone who believes they may have been targeted by the alleged scheme to contact the department’s main line or its Fourth Precinct office, as investigators continue working to identify additional victims who may not yet have come forward.
The case underscores a persistent risk tied to online marketplace transactions, where buyers meeting sellers in person for cash deals have limited recourse if a transaction turns out to be fraudulent. Mobile Police have previously urged residents completing online marketplace sales to meet in well-lit public locations, ideally at a police department’s designated exchange zone, and to verify the contents of any package before completing payment.