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Victim Warns Of Scammer After Rolex Sale Goes Wrong

By Rick Sallinger

LAKEWOOD (CBS4) - Like so many scams this involved Craigslist.  A Rolex watch was put up for sale at more than $9000.

Andi Davis was selling it and quickly got a response by phone from someone who showed strong interest in the watch.

"He called me said what's lowest you would I go? I said 8," she told CBS4's Rick Sallinger.

There was texting back and forth negotiating the price, but the would-be buyer wanted more time to gather the cash.

They then set up a meeting at a Lakewood Starbucks. Surveillance cameras captured the man going inside.

rolex6
(credit: Lakewood Police)

"He said do you mind if we do that in your car and I say if we keep the doors open," Davis said.

They went to her car in the lot and he gave her the money.

"So I count it and he says I'm going to take the watch downtown and make sure it's not a plastic bezel."

She says the man then insisted on taping the envelope with the money he gave her to make sure she didn't take any out before he was sure the watch was all real.

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(credit: Lakewood Police)

"In the process of taking the envelope and reaching down to his briefcase he did a switch," Davis explained.

When she finally opened the envelope she found a hundred on the outside. But inside it only one a lot of one dollar bills.

rolex3
(credit: Lakewood Police)

It was reported to Lakewood Police who suggest doing such transactions in a bank.

"I could count the cash right there hand it to the teller and deposit it in my account," dept spokesman Steve Davis said.

Such scams are not new. The same trick with the same type of watch was reported in Chicago. It's not known if the same man was involved.

CBS4's Rick Sallinger is a Peabody award winning reporter who has been with the station more than two decades doing hard news and investigative reporting. Follow him on Twitter @ricksallinger.

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