Police are urging people selling goods online to remain vigilant after con artists scammed West Midlands residents out of more than £125,000.
People who advertise their goods on Facebook, Gumtree, and eBay are being urged to take extra care before handing over their items, amid ongoing fraud reports in the last six months mainly involving high-value goods such as watches and mobiles.
Fraudsters have been contacting sellers offering to buy their item and usually arranging a meeting at the seller’s home or work address.
At the meeting, the con artist will inspect the item and agree to pay for it via bank transfer, however, a fraudulent cheque will be paid into the victim’s account with the funds showing as pending. The victim will hand over their goods thinking the payment has been completed, but the cheque will later bounce back unpaid.
DC Edward Spokes, from the Economic Crime Unit, said: “The closure of non-essential shops has meant more people are buying and selling their goods online and unfortunately fraudsters are finding ways to take advantage of people even during this difficult time.
“Anyone selling goods online should check with their banks that any payments have cleared their accounts before handing over goods. Funds shown as pending in the account do not necessarily mean that the payment has been completed.”