In just two months, a quartet of New Canaan teenagers racked up $4,500 in a crooked eBay scheme that worked—at least for a while, according to town police who recently arrested them.
When town police first received a report of the alleged con job, three of the boys were 14 years old, another was 15.
New Canaan police gave this account of the matter:
The four created an account on eBay and listed various items for sale. They provided very detailed descriptions of laptops and large-screen televisions. But somewhere in the description the word "guide" would show up.
And when people agreed to buy the items, the teens would mail them the user manual.
"It's not illegal to list goods, but it was very misleading, and it was no secret that they knew it was misleading," New Canaan Police Sgt. Carol Ogrinc, a spokeswoman for the department, said Monday in a news briefing.
The scheme ran from October to December 2012. After a victim in California notified authorities there about being swindled, the account was traced to New Canaan and New Canaan police were notified on Jan. 22.
Police charged all four with attempt to commit third-degree larceny. They were scheduled to appear in juvenile court in Stamford on Tuesday, May 21.
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