Facebook is not only one of the biggest social media platforms where friends and family members share photos, information, and stories, but also a key tool for law enforcement in tracking down criminals. Now, it has become a tool used criminals themselves following a post about inherited jewelry.
On both Facebook and Instagram, a 19-year-old individual posted information about inheriting jewelry, which included a number of photographs of the merchandise. To that person, the post was merely a way to share great news but to three men, it became an opportunity for committing a crime.
After reading the post and seeing the photographs, three men decided to target the Philadelphia home of the individual by robbing it. According to law enforcement officials, the three men donned ski masks and with guns in hand, kicked in the door of the home located in the Somerton neighborhood of Philadelphia.
The incident occurred at around 2:30 am yesterday. After forcing their way into the targeted victim’s home, the men demanded the 19-year-old resident turn over the inherited jewelry. After getting what they wanted, the men left the home through a back window.
As part of their cache, the men got away with a genuine Rolex watch, several gold chains, and a couple of cellphones. In addition to the 19-year-old there were four other people in the home, all under the age of 19 but fortunately, no one was harmed in the home invasion.
In a statement from the victim to police, the men mentioned the inherited jewelry while committing the crime, admitting they had seen the post and photographs on the Facebook site. At this time, none of the men involved have been identified or arrested.
Craig’s List has often been used by criminals for tracking down targeted victims but now, it has become clear that all social media sites put people at risk. As law enforcement stated, this is a stark reminder that just because people have put pages on private settings does not mean that criminals cannot gain access to information such this.
This is also an educational experience for other people who use Facebook, Instagram, and other social media sites to be extremely careful of the information shared.
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