Thief makes off with senior's $7,500 Rolex prompting appeal from police

Photos of a suspect in a financial crime investigation in Metro Vancouver are being circulated after Mounties say a very expensive watch was stolen from a senior.

The victim was selling their $7,500 Rolex to an allegedly interested buyer they met online, but when the senior let the customer try it on, the customer took off with the watch instead.

That’s according to Burnaby RCMP, who says the suspect had met the victim before at the mall following a conversation on Facebook Marketplace.

The senior had a family member with them at the time, and the suspect said they wanted to meet the following day at Lougheed Mall to complete the sale.

On September 2, they met again, and the suspect allegedly took the watch and ran away.

Mounties describe the suspect as 6 feet tall, in their early 20s, with a slim build.

“We recommend taking every safety precaution possible when making online marketplace purchases, including meeting buyers or sellers outside our detachment or one of our Community Police Offices,” said Corporal Mike Kalanj with Burnaby RCMP.

Anyone with information on the suspect is asked to call police.