Netsafe's Sean Lyons says a successful scam has “the right hook for the right person at the right time” (listings pictured are not examples of scams). Photo / Bevan Conley
Netsafe's Sean Lyons says a successful scam has “the right hook for the right person at the right time” (listings pictured are not examples of scams). Photo / Bevan Conley
Whanganui police want the public to be vigilant after multiple reports of scams on the Facebook Marketplace website.
Acting Senior Sergeant Anna Reti said recent scams involved listing items such as vehicles, caravans, cellphones, gaming consoles, jewellery and clothing.
Numerous Whanganui residents were now out of pocket, with reports of incidents coming in every week, she said.
“Typically, fake Facebook profiles are created and used to list items for sale using pictures found online.
“Scammers often offer the items at a very good price to entice would-be buyers.”
Reti said a common way scammers led people led into depositing money was to say there was significant interest in the listing and a deposit was needed to “hold” the item.
“Scammers try their best to expedite the depositing of money and often scam multiple people in a short period of time, prior to deleting the fake account.”
On some occasions, scammers provided fake local pick-up addresses, she said.
“The one universal theme is that once the money has been paid, the ‘seller’ simply deletes the account and/or stops all contact.”
Netsafe spokesperson Sean Lyons said Facebook Marketplace was “the newer kid on the block” and less familiar to people.
“People know Trade Me and they understand how it works. Their parents used it and so do they.
“Familiarity breeds a sense of trust.”
Scammers probably felt Marketplace was slightly less regulated and there were more opportunities on the site, Lyon said.
A successful scam had “the right hook for the right person at the right time”.
“When money is tight and we are looking at our grocery bill asking, ‘How is it bigger than last week, even though I’ve got less?’, things that seem like a good deal become more appealing,” Lyon said.
“Stop, take a step back, take a deep breath, think about it. Ask a friend, check with Netsafe or talk to the local police.
“It’s going to save you an awful lot of pain, and probably quite a lot of money in the bargain too.”
Sean Lyons says Facebook Marketplace is "the newer kid on the block".
Police categorised the matters as “obtaining by deception” and, depending on the dollar amount, it could carry up to seven years’ imprisonment for the perpetrators, Reti said.
It was important for people to contact their bank first, then the police.
“Your bank - depending on what the offenders have done - has the best chance of retrieving your funds from disappearing locally or overseas.
“We have seen examples where the victim has realised straight away something wasn’t right and the banks have managed to retrieve all or part of the victim’s funds.”
Reti said any subsequent police investigation or court process, including reparation, could often take a lengthy amount of time to conclude, leaving victims to bear the cost in the interim.
Last year, New Zealand man John Sinclair was sentenced in the Wellington District Court to 12 months’ home detention with an additional year of post-release conditions after scamming 28 people out of a total of $284,000.
He used 15 different pseudonyms, including posing ashusband-wife duo “Deborah and Hayden McKinley” and father-son duo “Arthur and Gareth Middleton”.
One couple lost $36,000 after buying what they thought was a self-contained unit, while another lost $18,000 when they tried to buy a caravan from Sinclair.
Reti said people should insist on meeting in person to conduct transactions and examine the item before completing the transaction.
“Meet in a public place and take a friend or family member. Do not go into someone’s house or allow them into yours.
“Trust your instincts – if it’s too good to be true, it probably is. It’s always better to be safe than sorry, regardless of how good of a deal you think you might be getting.”
Frauds can be reported by texting Netsafe to 428, emailing help@netsafe.org.nz or calling 0508 NETSAFE (0508 638 723).
