Police warn Derbyshire residents who buy and sell online after new scam emerges

Derbyshire Police have received reports of a scam where people have advertised items for sale on social media and the ‘buyer’ has offered to pay via bank transfer.

When they arrive to collect the item, they show a screenshot of an approved transaction, and say that the money will be in the account in a few hours. However, the money is never deposited.

Anyone selling goods online is asked to check with their banks that any payments have cleared in their accounts before handing over goods.

When buying or selling online, we would advise people follow this advice:

View the person's profile – learn more about the person you are buying from/selling to. You can see if there are friends you have in common, recent activity and any ratings they may have received.

Use cash, PayPal or person-to-person payment methods. When selling an item, consider asking for full payment instead of instalments.

If you as the seller are happy to accept a bank transfer, wait for the funds to clear before handing over the goods.

Inspect the item and if possible, make sure to thoroughly test it before buying it.

Protect your personal information – we strongly advise against sharing personal information, such as your payment login, password details or bank account information. If you're selling electronics, make sure that you've cleared any personal information from the device.

Report a person – selling sites such as Facebook Marketplace and eBay allow you to report a person if they go against their standards or policies.

If you believe you may have fallen victim to any kind of fraud, then you can contact Action Fraud via their website or using the following contact methods.

Facebook – send a private message to /DerbyshireConstabulary

Twitter – direct message the force’s contact centre on @DerPolContact

Website – complete the online contact form

Phone – call 101

You can also anonymously contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

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