Waterloo police are warning residents after a string of reported cellphone robberies.

Ahmad Fareed Khan / Global News

For the third time in three weeks, a person has reportedly been robbed in the same Kitchener neighbourhood after meeting for a cellphone deal arranged through an online classified ad, according to Waterloo Regional Police.

On Friday at around 7 p.m., a man reportedly met with two other men in a parking lot on Upper Canada Drive to complete an arrangement that had been made on a classified ad site.

The victim, in this case, was also reportedly meeting up with a man who was looking to purchase an iPhone from him. The deal had been arranged through a classified ads site, police say.

The buyer allegedly sprayed his victim with a noxious substance before fleeing the scene on foot with the iPhone.

Police have not said whether the three incidents are connected, but officers launched a campaign earlier in the summer to try and raise awareness about the precautions people should take when completing such a deal.

“We’ve seen a rash of robberies, which is why we have released our Once Upon a Crime campaign,” Waterloo police spokesperson Cherri Greeno said. “A lot of people may think that this is just something that happens to somebody else and they are taking the proper safety precautions, but this campaign just highlights the fact that it can happen to anyone at any time.”