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"Police in Daytona Beach believe thieves who targeted people in shopping centers are part of a larger ring operating in the area.The thieves offer brand new computers, cell phones, and iPads for far less than retail, but officials said buyers are not getting what they pay for.Felicia Bunker wanted to buy her newly adopted daughter Iyana an iPad for Christmas, but in the end, she got a piece of glass in an iPad box -- ripped off by a thief who told her a sob story in the parking lot of a Save-A-Lot Friday.Police said 39-year-old Torrence Canady said told her he was from out of town and looking to sell iPads he had bought as gifts to make enough money to get home.\"I told him that I would buy one only if they weren't stolen,\" said Bunker.  \"He said they were not stolen.\"Bunker paid Canady $400 and thought she got a deal until she unwrapped the official-looking, bubble-wrapped package.  By that time, Canady was long gone, but he was arrested two days later.The same day, a Palm Coast couple fell for the scam in the parking lot of a Target store when, police said, 25-year-old Antonio Wheeler offered the couple discounted computer goods.\"The victim I think actually wanted to open up one of the boxes, and the suspect showed him the gun and robbed him for like $750,\" said Daytona Beach Police Department spokesman Jimmie Flynt.Police said Wheeler also had wrapped laptop packages, but there were no laptops in them.  He is still on the run, and there is a warrant out for his arrest.  In a strange twist, WESH 2 NEWS learned Wheeler was an American Idol contestant in 2009.Though police have one suspect in custody and they know who the other one is there may be other scammers out there.Police said they have information that suggests the ring may have started in Mississippi and has now moved to Florida to take advantage of people.Florida mug shots:"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.wesh.com/article/thieves-scamming-shoppers-in-daytona-beach-officials-say-1/4419713>