BY KEITH EPPS

Stafford authorities are looking for a group of young men who at least twice Sunday tried to rob people who'd been lured into danger through an online classified advertising service.

Sheriff's Maj. David Decatur said both victims had responded to ads on Craigslist when the incidents occurred within 30 minutes of each other.

Both incidents occurred in an area just a few hundred yards from the Sheriff's Office. Deputy J.E. Maines was interviewing the first victim when the second one came running up.

The first victim, a 40-year-old man and his wife, came to Stafford from Ruther Glen about 9:15 p.m. after answering an ad on Craigslist for a PlayStation 3.

Through e-mail, he had agreed to meet the seller at the courthouse. When he got there, Decatur said, he got another e-mail telling him to come to nearby Red Oak Drive.

When the man and his wife arrived, Decatur said, three young men were waiting. One of them went behind a fence after telling the victim he was going to get the PlayStation.

When he returned a short time later, he had his hand in his pocket. He pulled out a bottle and tried to hit the Ruther Glen man in the head, Decatur said.

The man started to go after his attacker, but his wife stopped him and the couple went to the Sheriff's Office to report the incident.

A short time later, a 22-year-old Dumfries man came to St. Peter's Lutheran Church at the intersection of Red Oak Drive and Courthouse Road in response to another Craigslist ad.

The seller had advertised an iPhone for $190, Decatur said. Through e-mail negotiations, the seller agreed to sell the phone for $120 if the buyer showed up Sunday night.

The Dumfries man showed up with his girlfriend and met with three young men, believed to be the same ones involved in the first incident.

The men were discussing the sale when one of the suspects surprised the victim with a punch in the face.

The stunned man then started running toward the Sheriff's Office with the three suspects in pursuit.

During the chase, the victim heard the suspects talking about "getting into his pockets," Decatur said.

The suspects stopped chasing the man as he neared the Sheriff's Office.

All three suspects were described as young black males. Decatur said police have some leads in the case, but no arrests had been made as of last night.

Decatur said people looking for tips on how to avoid being scammed by things such as Craigslist can get information from the Sheriff's Office website at staffordsheriff.com.

Keith Epps: 540/374-5404
Email: kepps@freelancestar.com