Toronto police allege a man combined online commerce with sleight of hand to pull off a scam on an unsuspecting Facebook Marketplace seller.
Investigators say the suspect posed as a buyer on Marketplace using the alias Danny, messaging a seller and expressing interest in purchasing several items posted for sale.
The suspect and the seller arranged to meet at a location.
The suspect arrived in a surgical mask and handed the victim an envelope containing cash for the items.
Florian Dinca, 44, is facing a fraud charge. Toronto Police
But at some point police allege the suspect switched the envelope with another one that contained only paper, leaving before the seller realized a switch had taken place.
Florian Dinca, 44, of no fixed address, was arrested and is now facing a single count of fraud over $5,000.