Perth marketplace scam duping buyers into a five hour drive
Aspiring DJ Tejas Manoj was scouring the online platform when he came across an advertisement offering decks for just $1100 — the equipment usually retails for around $2500 to $3000.
Despite the 20-year-old retail worker thinking the deal sounded 'too good to be true', he messaged the seller to enquire further.
The Marketplace listing stated the seller was located in the Perth CBD area, but when Mr Manoj enquired, he was told he would have to pick the DJ decks up from an address in a Wheatbelt town more than 200km out of Perth.
'They told me to come the next day in the morning... they were in Kellerberrin, which was a two and a half hour drive away from me,' Mr Manoj said. The scam listings remain on Facebook Marketplace. Credit: Facebook
The scammer also said that if Mr Manoj wanted to transfer the money rather than use cash, then the transaction needed to be done before he arrived to pick up the equipment.
Mr Manoj decided the long drive was worth it and was told he had to be at the property between 8am and 9am the next day to collect the goods.
'I left my house at 5.30 in the morning, and got there around 8am, and when I got to the address I messaged them, and there was no response,' he said.
'I was about to go knock on the door, and when I went to go have a look at the door there's a note saying 'There's no marketplace item here, our address has been used as part of a scam'.' There was nothing but a sign at the front door letting the prospective buyer know they had been duped. Credit: Supplied
Taped to the front door of the Kellerberrin address was a letter informing people that the address was frequently being used in Marketplace scams, and that the residents had nothing to do with the sale.
Mr Manoj said he had a 'very depressing two and a half hour drive back home' but was happy to return home with the $1100 still in his pocket. Tejas Manoj was the victim of a bizzare Facebook Marketplace scam. Credit: Supplied
Mr Manoj said his friends warned him the outcome could have been a lot worse.
'My (friend) thought that I was going to get jumped by a bunch of guys outside the address and they're just going to take my money,' he said.
The ad for the decks Mr Manoj tried to buy is still up on Facebook, with the photo for the listing also being found on another website. The scam listings remain on Facebook Marketplace. Credit: Facebook
While Mr Manoj walked away from the scam only losing five hours of his day and a tank of petrol, many others don't come out so lucky.
National identity and cyber support service IDCARE's manager for outreach and engagement Kathy Sundstrom said often innocent homeowners are caught up in these scams.
'When someone asks where they live, the scammer may provide a real address. When the buyer turns up, the poor homeowner is bewildered — they're also a victim in the scam,' Ms Sundstrom said. The scammer has 10 listings up with photos sourced from other websites. Credit: Facebook
However, Ms Sundstorm revealed there are signs that giveaway a Marketplace scam.
'The most obvious one is the one we like to ignore — when the price is really good, if it's too good to be true, it usually is,' she said.
'If the person asks for unusual payment methods, such as a 'holding deposit' or payment via gift cards, that's another red flag.
'If the person asks you to share your driver licence, passport, or other valuable credentials to 'prove you are who you say you are' — delete them! Even if they share theirs, it's most often the stolen credential of another victim.'
'If suspicious of a listing, potential buyers are being urged to never pay a holding deposit for an item, meet the seller in person and take extra caution of high-value items like phones.'
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