Source: New Zealand Police
A man has had victory after all, after initially realising he’d been scammed when selling his pride and joy.
Last month, the victim put his Play Station 5 up for sale on Facebook Marketplace as he needed the extra cash to pay for his wife’s dental surgery.
Sergeant Juls Conder, Waitematā West Enquiries Team, says the victim was contacted by a woman and they agreed on a price of $750.
“The victim was sent a screenshot claiming she had transferred the payment to the victim’s bank account.
“Trusting the screenshot, he handed over the PlayStation to her in person outside an address on Geordie Street, Henderson.”
Sergeant Conder says the victim later confirmed with his bank that no such transaction had taken place.
“He went back to the address only to be met with a different person.
“Neighbours in the area also had no knowledge of the woman he was enquiring about but had said similar incidents had taken place recently.”
He says officers made a number of enquiries and were able to identify a woman who matched the description and lived on the same street.
“On Wednesday, officers attended her address where she was taken into custody without incident.
“Further enquiries revealed the Play Station was at a nearby Cash Converters and when Police arrived, it was miraculously still there.
“The officer was able to return the PS5 to the victim a short time later, much to his delight after thinking he would never see it ever again.”
Sergeant Conder says there are a number of precautions people can take to protect themselves when selling or purchasing off social media, including:
• Insist on meeting to conduct transactions and examine the item before completing the transaction. Meet in a public place, and take a friend. DO NOT go into someone’s house or allow them into yours, DO NOT deposit money into another person’s account before you have received the
item.
• Learning more about the person you are buying from or selling to. Note: You can tap on a person’s profile on the product listing page to see if you have any friends in common, their marketplace activity, and any ratings they may have received.
• Protect yourself from online scams. Check out https://www.netsafe.org.nz/advice/scams or https://www.police.govt.nz/advice-services/cybercrime-and-internet and https://www.nzba.org.nz/consumer-information/smarter-banking/fraud-safet…
• Ensure friends and family, especially anyone vulnerable, understand what to do to protect themselves. Be the person to provide that ongoing support and advice.
• Trust your instincts – if it’s too good to be true or sounds like a scam, it probably is.
New Zealand Police have partnered with Facebook, Netsafe and CERT to bring attention to the variety of online scams offenders use.
To find out more about common types of scams, visit https://scamgallery.co.nz/welcome
Anyone who believes they have been a victim of a scam should make a report to Police on 105 or visit their local station.
A 37-year-old woman will appear at Waitākere District Court on 9 December charged with obtaining by deception.
ENDS.
Holly McKay/NZ Police
