Scammer sells broken phone for $600, then disappears, police say

A Des Plaines man who met a stranger to buy an iPhone later discovered the phone didn't work, police said Friday.

The deceptive sale occurred Tuesday in a parking lot on the 2500 block of Ballard Road in Des Plaines. The victim had responded to a Facebook Marketplace ad, police said.

The victim paid $600 for the phone. Upon arriving home, the victim discovered the phone was broken, the advertisement had been deleted and the seller couldn't be contacted, police said.