Police Probe Online Scams and Knife-Point Robbery in Belize City

Police are investigating a series of reported incidents in Belize City, including two cases of online fraud and an early morning robbery involving a minor.  In the first case, 35-year-old businesswoman Shannon Martinez Leslie of Buttonwood Bay reported that she was deceived into transferring funds for a cellphone that was never delivered. Leslie told investigators that on April 26, she saw an advertisement on Facebook Marketplace for a black iPhone 12 listed at three hundred and fifty dollars by a user identified as “Bowen Franky.” After communicating via Messenger, she was provided with an Atlantic Bank account under the name Joseph Williams. On April 28, she transferred the funds; however, up to the time of her report on May 7, she had not received the phone or a refund.  In a similar report, 39-year-old businessman Chia Hua Yu of Bella Vista also fell victim to an apparent online scam. Yu stated that on May 6, he agreed to purchase an iPhone 14 Pro Max for nine hundred and fifty dollars from a Facebook user operating under the name “Jacob Brown.” After transferring the funds to a Belize Bank account, Yu was told the device would be shipped via Tropic Air. However, after requesting a receipt the following day, he was blocked from further communication and has not received the item or his money.  In both cases, police have recorded statements, collected transaction records, and prepared requests to the Financial Intelligence Unit as investigations continue.  Meanwhile, in a separate incident, a 16-year-old student, Kelcey Perez of Belama Phase Four, reported being robbed at knifepoint in the early hours of this morning. According to police, around 3:50 a.m., Perez was near the Swing Bridge area when a male assailant approached her, forcibly took her handbag, and threatened her with a knife during a struggle. The suspect fled the area, and while the bag was later recovered with items scattered nearby, a purse containing one thousand five hundred dollars in cash and personal documents were missing.  Police have canvassed the area and noted the presence of surveillance cameras, but no suspects have been detained in connection with any of these incidents. Investigations remain ongoing.