Police are reminding the community to be wary of fake ads on online marketplace and classified sites after receiving reports of a fake shed selling scam.
Police have been alerted to scammers posting a fake ad about a backyard shed for sale. The buyer is given the address of the shed and told to take a look. If the buyer is keen to purchase, they are provided bank details to transfer money into. Once the transaction has occurred, the 'seller' provides a screen shot receipt and even a picture of a driver's licence. The buyer is told to go around and disassemble the shed and take it away - the seller has some excuse as to why they can't be there.
Unfortunately for the buyer - the real owner of the shed has never advertised it for sale and police have even been called to investigate a 'theft'. Whilst the buyer has been able to explain he wasn't stealing the shed, he has been defrauded with little chance of getting his money back. Police have also had reports of a similar scam in relation to temporary fencing used at construction sites.
These classified scams often advertise an item at a low price to hook people in, so a good rule of thumb is if the advertised price looks too good to be true, it probably is.
If you are purchasing something via an online marketplace, be very suspicious of a seller who can't meet you in person. Do not accept that a picture of a driver's licence is proof of who you are dealing with.
Learn how to disrupt and prevent being a victim of fraud, visit 'R U in Control?'
To protect yourself from scams, visit scamwatch.
If you have been the victim of a cybercrime, you can report this online at ReportCyber.
