Chicago police are warning residents about a wave of robberies tied to online activity, with offenders using social media apps, online marketplaces, and even food delivery orders as bait to lure victims into holdup traps.
Detectives have identified three distinct, active robbery patterns across the city’s South and Southwest Sides, involving armed offenders who not only steal property but sometimes demand electronic transfers of cash at gunpoint.
In West Pullman and Morgan Park, police say victims are being targeted after arranging to meet someone through social media apps. After arriving at the designated locations, the victims were confronted by a man who displayed a gun and forced them to make electronic money transfers, police said.
Robberies were reported on:
- August 13, 2:15 p.m. in the 12400 block of South State Street
- August 20, 3:10 a.m. in the 1500 block of West 111th Street
- August 20, 4:00 a.m. in the 11800 block of South LaSalle Street
CPD did not release a description of the robber.
In Woodlawn, at least two victims have been robbed upon arriving to complete online marketplace sales. Instead of meeting buyers, they encountered two armed robbers who took their valuables at gunpoint.
The first robbery in this pattern occurred in the 700 block of East 63rd Street around 7:30 p.m. on July 27. The other holdup was reported in the 6300 block of South Evans at 4:45 p.m. on August 15.
Police described these robbers as two Black males, about 16 to 18 years old, standing 5-foot-6 to 5-foot-8, both wearing dark clothing and armed with a black handgun.
Finally, in Back of the Yards, delivery drivers are being ambushed while completing orders. Police say drivers exited their vehicles and approached supposed customers on the sidewalk, only to be confronted with handguns and robbed.
Both robberies occurred in the 4400 block of South Wolcott. First at 10:45 p.m. on August 10 and then at 9:15 p.m. on August 12.
These robbers were described as Hispanic males, 15 to 18 years old, about 5-foot-8 and 150 pounds, wearing black masks and dressed in dark clothing.
CPD is urging people to use extra caution and consider meeting strangers in police station lobbies.
