Toledo police are investing two similar robberies that happened just hours apart from one another.
The first was just before 7 p.m. on Feb. 26. According to a police report, a 17-year-old boy selling his PlayStation 4 agreed to meet the buyer at KFC on Monroe. The two had started the deal on Facebook Marketplace.
The buyer got into the teen's car and asked him to drive to the ATM at the Glass City Food Market around the corner.
When they arrived, he pointed a gun, demanding the PlayStation and the teen's phone.
The suspects have not been identified yet.
Just three hours later, a 20-year-old selling his PlayStation 5 on Facebook agreed to meet a buyer at the Toledo Museum of Art. That sale also ended in a robbery at gunpoint, and that suspect still on the run.
"It seems quite coincidental that it was both people selling PlayStations, both met on the same day and both robbed at gunpoint," said Lt. Kellie Lenhardt, public information officer for the Toledo Police Department.
Lenhardt says robberies starting as online sales are common. And with so many Facebook listings for expensive items, she says to treat every sale with caution.
"Check the person's profile. If it's a brand-new profile, that could be a red flag. Maybe it's a fake one."
Stick to sellers or buyers who have positive online reviews, and never go to an exchange alone.
If bringing a friend isn't possible, keep the deal in the daylight near visible cameras.
"That way if anything happens, that is caught on video and detectives will have something to go on."
She also added that the best indicator of a suspicious sale is your intuition.
"No piece of property, no amount of money is worth your life. We really encourage people to use their best judgment."
The Toledo Police Scott Park Station at 2301 Nebraska Ave. is a designated safe online exchange zone. Of course, this area is only for sales of legal items.
Anyone with information on either robbery is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 419-255-1111.