'He gave me a full story about how he was going to Christchurch the next day'
by Matthew Littlewood · Otago Daily Times Online NewsA woman scammed out of $2000 when attempting to sell a phone is warning others about the dangers of online marketplaces.
Rachel Barclay said in April last year she attempted to sell her brand-new smartphone on Facebook Marketplace, only for the whole process to go horribly wrong.
"The gentleman responded with a message through Messenger.
"He basically said to me that he had someone interested in my phone. Could they text me about it? And I was like, ‘yes, that’s fine’."
She provided the potential buyer the contact details, only to later discover it was actually the original person.
"He gave me a full story about how he was going to Christchurch the next day, how he wanted to get the sale through because he’d just broken his phone.
"My gut instinct probably said no, but I did go ahead with it."
Ms Barclay, who lives in Otago, was then provided with what she later discovered was a fake bank statement.
"Because it looked legit, I handed the phone over and there was no payment ever made."
She has since searched for the alleged scammer and said police told her he had been involved in multiple similar incidents.
The experience had taught her a lot of lessons.
"I want to get people to understand that using Marketplace has just about become a thing of the past.
"I think that where you’re meeting up is really important because this guy walked into my home and I felt really invaded."
This experience convinced her in future to always bring someone along with her when making large transactions with private individuals.
"That way, you have a witness with you."
She also felt that asking the prospective buyer for the money in cash in person could be useful.
"I think that more people need to be reporting. I have heard a few cases where they go, ‘oh, well, my loss, I’ll just walk away’.
"Well, no, if someone ripped you off and not followed the rules of buying and selling, then report them."
Police have confirmed that a 28-year-old man, now based in Timaru, will appear in the Timaru District Court on January 29 facing several charges of deception.
A police spokeswoman said there were precautions people could take to protect themselves when selling or buying items on social media.
These included insisting on meeting to conduct transactions and examining the item before completing the transaction.
"Meet in a public place, and take a friend. Don’t go into someone’s house or allow them into yours.
"Do not hand over goods until you have seen funds clear into your account; do not rely on being sent a screenshot as proof of payment, as these can be faked."