Woman urges caution for buyers & sellers after reportedly being robbed at gunpoint for iPhone

JACKSON, Tenn. — A local mom was robbed at gunpoint Saturday afternoon by a man she met online who was supposed to buy her phone.

Janeesha Whitehead says she was attempting to sell her phone through an online “Buy, Sell, Trade” page. What she thought was going to earn her extra cash resulted in her being robbed at gunpoint.

Now she warns others to use caution when using online sell sites.

“Be more aware of people scamming and scheming on websites,” she said. “Because there are dirty people out there that will do anything for a dollar.”

Whitehead says she walked up to the suspect’s car with her daughter when they arrived at her home.

She reports the passenger threatened her with a gun, stole the phone and drove off in a White Chrysler 300.

She said as of Monday afternoon, the suspects have not been located.

Law enforcement officers say one of the most important things people can do when using online selling sites is meet in a public place, such as coffee shop, bank or police station.

Lt. Jeff Shepard with the Jackson Police Department said meeting where there are security cameras is a good idea.

“You don’t know what they’re going to do until you get there, but one idea is to take a picture of the person you’re dealing with,” he said.

An alternative to selling online is to sell to stores that buy used electronics.

Moe Cleghorn, a manager at Nerdvana, says they buy anything from used video games to various electronics.

“You know exactly what you’re getting with us, and we’re very transparent,” Cleghorn said. “So you come in and it is very face-to-face as opposed to behind a computer screen.”

Police say another tip to avoid getting scammed is to bring a friend along.