Police are again reminding people to take extra precautions when selling items online after a man was robbed of his mobile phone in Officer.
The victim advertised his i-Phone 11 on Facebook Marketplace and organised for the unknown male purchaser to meet him at Brownfield Drive around 4:50pm on Wednesday 13 January.
The male offender asked the victim to reset the phone before pushing him and snatching the phone from his hand.
The offender then left the scene in a green sedan.
The offender is described as of African appearance, aged in his early 20s, approximately 180cm tall, slim to medium build, wearing a black face mask, black hoodie with white print on the front, black tracksuit pants and silver/diamond stud earrings.
Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or submit a confidential report at www.crimestoppersvic.com.au
Police have provided these tips to keep in mind to avoid being placed in a dangerous situation when buying or selling items 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 they are fake.
– Instead of meeting at your house, meet in a public place where there are a lot of people around and plenty of CCTV.
– Don’t go alone – if possible, take a friend or family member with you.
– Communicate with the person verbally rather than via text/messaging so you can gauge if there is any suspicious behaviour going on (you can generally judge that by the way people speak to you).
– Do not accept screenshots as proof of payment.
