Last week, police received another two reports regarding the thefts of secondhand electronics after making online arrangements to meet the buyer.
Recently, police have received many reports of these types of thefts, usually involving mobile phones, which have been occurring across the Ipswich Police District, in particular, the Redbank Plains, Springfield and Goodna areas.
If you have any information regarding these offences, please make a report to Policelink online.
If you are buying or selling items online, please consider the following:
- Follow online safety advice from sources such as the Australian Cyber Security Centre regarding how to safely purchase/sell online.
- Look into the buyer/seller before meeting up. Social media pages that have recently been created or only have a few followers may be indications that they’re fake.
- Look out for pages where the conversation is one-way by the page owner, with little or no engagement from the page’s community.
- Check online shopping sites for secure methods of payment. Never pay by money order, pre-loaded money cards or wire transfer.
- Do not accept screenshots as proof of payment.
- Don’t meet up with strangers at night or in secluded or private locations. Your personal safety is your priority when arranging to meet up. Consider meeting in a public area during day light hours where there is plenty of CCTV and people around.
- If possible, take a family member or friend with you.
- Consider your surroundings and trust your instincts. If you feel uncomfortable with any aspect of the sale or purchase, cancel the meeting.
- Record details of the person you are meeting including name, email address, phone number and registration numbers.
If a crime is happening now, call Triple Zero (000).
Contact police immediately if you do fall victim to an offence.
