Sarnia police are advising online bargain hunters to stop sending deposits for items listed on Facebook Marketplace as they continue to receive reports of scams on a daily basis.
While these types of fraud investigations happen often and are not sophisticated, the local police service said they do take up a "significant" amount of resources.
"...Fraud investigators require judicial authorization to access the information they require," read a media release. "In most cases, the investigations require multiple judicial authorizations, which often lead to another individual whose banking information was compromised."
In these types of scams, the fraudster will ask the victim to send a deposit in order to hold an item.
Police said no matter the urgency, there are several reasons why one should not send a deposit. Those reasons are listed below.
1. There's no guarantee the seller is legitimate. Even if it is someone you know, their account may have been compromised.
2. Deposits are irreversible.
3. Legitimate sellers don't usually ask for deposits. Honest sellers expect to meet the buyer and complete the transaction face-to-face.
4. Fake seller accounts are easy to create.