A man has been charged after Auckland City Police unravelled multiple alleged Facebook Marketplace scams that ripped off victims across T¨¡maki Makaurau.
Detective Senior Sergeant Craig Bolton, Auckland City CIB, says Police have been making enquiries into the 26-year-old man who had a warrant to arrest in relation to a number of fraud incidents across T¨¡maki Makaurau in recent weeks.
¡°On Saturday evening, Police executed a search warrant at an address in Glen Innes, where the man was located and arrested without incident.
¡°He is due to appear in the Auckland District Court today on 27 charges of fraud, all of which are alleged to relate to incidents involving Facebook Marketplace.¡±
His bail has been opposed by Police.
The arrest comes at a time when Auckland City Police are seeing a concerning amount of reports of people being duped by other online users.
¡°While it is a very successful buy and sell platform, it¡¯s also a successful hunting ground for criminals to buy items using a fake bank transfer or sell items that don¡¯t exist and don¡¯t deliver,¡± Detective Senior Sergeant Bolton says.
¡°Every day, our officers in the Financial Crime Unit are assessing and, unfortunately, filing files where a fake bank transfer has been used by these offenders.
¡°We¡¯ve noticed the fake images have become more and more convincing, which means more people have fallen victim to their trap.¡±
The Financial Crime Unit estimate they are seeing up to 60 files coming across their desks a month relating to this type of crime ¨C sometimes up to three reports a day.
¡°These types of scams are notoriously difficult for Police to investigate so we are urging those who use the buy and sell platform to exercise caution and do their due-diligence first.
¡°Prevention will always be the best tactic to avoid becoming a victim.¡±
Police encourage anyone choosing to use the buy and sell platform to follow the following advice:
? 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
? 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 ¨C if it¡¯s too good to be true or sounds like a scam, it probably is.
If you believe you are or have been a victim of fraud, contact Police at , or call Police on 105 and report the matter. If you have handed over your bank details, contact your bank and immediately suspend your account
ENDS.
Anna Thompson/51½ÖÉä
