Online trading under assault

Facebook Marketplace is becoming the preferred shopping destination for local criminals.

On June 11, a 24-year-old man arranged to purchase a Nissan Wingroad vehicle at a location in Barataria. Instead, he was robbed of $27,500 in cash, his Nissan Tiida and his cellphone.

These robberies and assaults are becoming more commonplace, along with other minor thefts that victims are likely to be too embarrassed to report.

The police Cyber and Social Media Unit issued a warning in May 2024 noting an increase in scams using Facebook Marketplace and Instagram to lure victims to vulnerable locations.

These scams affect both buyers and sellers who are lured to meetings in exposed, vulnerable environments.

The police urged anyone participating in live encounters with otherwise faceless online entities to do so in “safe exchange zones,” but even well-lit areas under surveillance don’t seem to hinder determined criminals, who then lure their victims to more vulnerable locations to carry out their nefarious assaults.

In one notable incident in May 2023, a woman responded to an ad for discounted appliances at a large retailer, went to the store, gave “Brandon” her $5,000 in cash and was directed to a loading bay to collect her appliances. There was no fridge and stove, and it turned out, there was no Brandon. Nobody by that name or description worked at the store. The enthusiasm for deals and to offload unwanted items for quick cash continues to fuel these schemes.

A particularly brazen Marketplace scheme offered two HDC houses in Phase Four, Malabar for sale in March, and the $36,000 downpayment vanished along with the seller.

In January, three men were robbed of $50,000 in cash intended to be used to buy a Nissan Tiida. They ended up lying face down on the road in Morvant, robbed of their cash and cellphones.

In December, a Cedros fisherman was left with a fraudulent cheque and no $40,000 boat engine after a Marketplace transaction.

In a rare reversal of fortune for these Marketplace-enabled criminals, two men were killed by police in a sting operation in Morvant after they tried to rob plain-clothes officers.

Are police stations ready to become impromptu escrow agencies for the volume of local transactions that are enabled by Marketplace?

Some commonsense practices should be followed to reduce these vulnerabilities.

Buyers should insist on online payment after viewing goods offered for sale and reviewing relevant documents.

No serious seller should be unwilling to meet in well-populated public areas within sight of a police station.

This rash of incidents which prey on a thirst for bargains, a need for fast cash or the lure of too good to be true indicate fertile ground for thieves.

Both buyers and sellers should beware and take appropriate cautionary measures.