Police in Kimberley say they continue to receive reports of online fraud and are encouraging residents to be careful with sending money to strangers.
Sargeant Steve Woodcox says a lot of scams they see involve fake accounts selling items on sites like Facebook Marketplace.
“I can’t say enough, If you do not know the individuals that you’re buying stuff from if you’ve never met them or seen the property that’s about to be sold to you, do not send money to people you do not know.”
If you are meeting someone to purchase an item, police recommend doing it in a public area.
“If you’re going to meet people for property to sell, a good place to meet them is in the parking lot of the Kimberley detachment,” said Woodcox.
He also recommends getting some information in case you do get scammed.
“If you’re going to meet someone get a licence plate, get something so if something goes sideways and you get ripped off there’s some investigative avenue that we can follow.”
You should never send money online unless you are entirely sure of who they are.
“We’re still seeing it where people are sending thousands of dollars online to people,” Woodcox said.
“I can tell you every account online is a false name, a false person and as soon as you send money that account is closed and it’s nearly impossible for police to follow up on that.”