A Hawke's Bay man's caravan-selling scam has sparked a warning from police to be wary of online second-hand goods deceit in the lead-up to Christmas.
Appearing in the Hastings District Court this week, 25-year-old Morgan Neera was sentenced to nine months' home detention after being convicted on eight charges of obtaining by deception and one of engaging in a money-laundering transaction.
Police said he used fake profiles to "sell" a caravan on Facebook Marketplace, with the person purchasing it depositing the money into a third party's account.
But buyers never received a caravan and never heard again from the phantom vendor.
Detective Constable Sharon Codyre said victims were from throughout the North Island and lost large amounts of money that have not been recovered.