Facebook fraud hike sparks warning
A surge in complaints from people who have been ‘‘ripped off’’ via Facebook has prompted police to urge buyers to pick up any items they purchase and withhold payment until the time of collection.
Senior Constable Kyle Abbott said fraud via Facebook Marketplace was on the rise.
‘‘Every day, there’s two or three people coming through and that’s just here,’’ said Abbott, who works as a community constable at Richmond, near Nelson.
One man lodged a complaint on Monday, saying he had paid $2250 for a log splitter but never got the item. The account used by the person who advertised the log splitter had since been deleted.
In some instances, fraudsters were taking screenshots of items such as chainsaws that they did not own, and advertising them for sale using fake Facebook profiles.
‘‘They get rid of them [fake profiles] once they get the money,’’ Abbott said. ‘‘They have no conscience.’’
In one instance, a woman paid $600 for a phone advertised on Facebook. ‘‘That same phone had been ‘sold’ about 10 times,’’ Abbott said. ‘‘I feel sorry for these people. We try and do what we can.’’
While there were plenty of ‘‘legit people doing a good job’’ selling items via Facebook, some people were being ‘‘ripped off’’, he said.
Buyers should be especially wary of listings for which payment was asked upfront with the item to be posted afterwards. ‘‘Cellphones, iPods, anything that can be posted.’’
Questions should be asked if there were no options to pick up the item and make payment by cash on collection.
‘‘If you are going to buy on Facebook, make sure you pick it up,’’ Abbott said. ‘‘Check the item [is in good working order] and then pay them.’’