Stolen Visalia MetroPCS phones for sale on Craigslist

VISALIA, Calif. (KFSN) -- A cell phone store owner in Visalia is on alert after her store was broken into twice in one week. Roughly 60 phones were taken from the store. Some have already popped up for sale on Craigslist.

Rose Vitale said someone forced their way in the store, and stole thousands of dollars' worth of inventory.

Vitale said, "You feel violated its nerve wracking to experience something like this."

MetroPCS on Mooney Boulevard in Visalia has been broken into twice in the past week. Vitale says $5,000 worth of phones was stolen each time. Now there's a message she wants to share.

Vitale explained, "They can't use them anyways because they're all blacklisted."

Every phone that was taken has been marked as stolen. That means they can't be activated. Already several phones have re-surfaced. One victim that bought a phone said she found it on Craigslist and when it wasn't working she took it back to the store.

Sgt. Damon Maurice with the Visalia Police Department said, "If you buy anything from a second party do your homework know who you're buying from."

Visalia police said electronic stores are popular among crooks because the products are popular. Before you buy anything from someone you don't know -- you should always ask for the serial number to check if it's stolen. Vitale said phones reported stolen can't be activated on any network.

Vitale added, "They need to be careful, especially if they're buying phones on the street."

It's a good reminder since these missing phones are still out there waiting for the next potential victim.

Contact the Visalia Police Department if you bought a MetroPCS phone that isn't working.