Jacksonville woman robbed after posting on Facebook for sale page

A Jacksonville woman is hoping social media will help her track down a man who stole her iPhone after responding to a for sale ad on Facebook.

Katrina Peirson said she was trying to sell her iPhone so she posted it on the Jacksonville Free & For Sale Facebook page.

She said a man who appeared to be a teenager contacted her and asked her to meet him on Tunic and Main Street.

She said he told her: “Just to let you know, I’m not bringing nobody with me. I’m just here to do business and I’m out.”

“It was a friendly conversation. He didn’t act aggressive or anything,” Peirson said.

She said when she met him, she handed him the phone so he could look at it and he ran off with it.

Peirson said she didn’t think her phone would be stolen because the alleged thief contacted her through Facebook using a profile with his name and photo.

She posted about the theft on Facebook and people responded with more information about the suspect.

She's hoping detectives can track him down using the information and his Facebook page.

“There’s that one bad person and there are all of these nice people who were very helpful and they said, ‘We found this on him. We know what high school he goes to,’” Peirson said.

She said she has some advice for other people selling items on Facebook.

“Just be very, very careful,” she said. “Meet at a police station that has very high security.”

She said she also has a message for the teen who stole her phone.

“I just wanted my phone back,” she said. “I didn’t want to go to these measures, but you ran off. You’re so young and these are criminal charges that will follow you for life.”

Cox Media Group