Hawke's Bay people warned to be wary of fake online sellers
Police are urging people in Hawke’s Bay buying second-hand goods online to be wary of a proliferation of scams in the lead-up to Christmas.
A 25-year-old Napier man who operated one of these scams was sentenced to nine months home detention in Hastings District Court on Wednesday.
The convicted man, Morgan Neera, used fake profiles to "sell" a caravan on Facebook Marketplace, with the person purchasing it depositing the money into a third party’s account. However, the purchasers would never hear from him again.
Detective Constable Sharon Codyre says the victims, who were from throughout the North Island, lost large quantities of money that have not been recovered.
“We are receiving numerous reports of people being taken advantage of, usually when paying for goods they haven’t viewed,” Detective Constable Codyre says.
Police encourage people to take some basic precautions when buying online.
“Our advice is to never take a seller for their word, no matter how legitimate they may sound. Do some research about them first and see if their claims stack up.”
Neera was convicted of eight counts of obtains by deception and one of engaging in a money laundering transaction.
