Police warn people to be careful when buying items on Facebook. Photo: Daniel Foster/Flickr.
NSW Police have once again warned people to be wary of buying items through Facebook, after a Griffith man and Griffith woman lost money to alleged scams in separate incidents recently.
Alleged Toyota LandCruiser bargain sale
A Griffith man recently saw a 2003 Toyota LandCruiser for sale on Facebook Marketplace advertised for the bargain price of $3000, around $15,000 less than the market value for such vehicles.
The man began messaging the seller and agreed to pay a $1000 deposit into a bank account. The man completed the transaction without meeting the seller or seeing the vehicle.
Following payment of the deposit, the supposed seller allegedly stopped communicating with the prospective buyer. The following day the man reported the incident to Griffith police.
Alleged dumbbell weights sale
A Griffith woman who wanted to purchase some gym equipment saw some dumbbell weights advertised for $250 on Facebook and began conversing with a person whom she thought was the seller.
She then transferred the money to an account with a name that didn’t match the Facebook seller’s profile. She did not physically see the item or meet the seller in person. The seller then allegedly immediately blocked the victim on Facebook after the bank transfer was made.
Police warning about buying items through Facebook
“You wouldn’t normally transfer money to someone you don’t know, so why would you do it to buy an item from someone who is not a registered business?” Murrumbidgee Police District Inspector Glenn Smith said.
“If you are buying an item over the internet from these types of marketplaces, don’t pay deposits, go and see the item and pay for it in person when you collect the item.”
If you come across a scam, police say you can help protect everybody by reporting it to Scamwatch.
Your report helps to:
- Take down scam websites, scam ads and contact details.
- Warn the community
- Stop scammers in their tracks.
You can report it at scamwatch.gov.au/report-a-scam.
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The Hume highway should be 130kph anyway. View