Police are urging people to be cautious when buying firewood online as demand increases ahead of winter.
Whakatāne community constable Rob Jones says scams involving firewood sales are expected to rise on online trading platforms such as Facebook Marketplace.
Jones said some buyers had lost hundreds of dollars after paying deposits to sellers who then disappeared.
“We have had a lot of people pay deposits or put the money through, and then, the person, they can't even get hold of them, the person just shuts down their profile, and they're out of $300,” he said.
He advised buyers not to pay for firewood until it had been collected or delivered.
“Jones said if the seller asks for payment ahead of pick up or delivery, “just blatantly refuse.”
“If they're legit, there should be no issue,” he adds.
However, not all scams are easy to identify and can appear genuine.
Jones says there are a few warning signs to watch for, such as unusually low prices or suspicious profile names.
“Have a look at the profile, do they have lots of feedback, is the feedback good, is the feedback bad, do they not have any feedback, are you the first customer?”
He says reputable sellers will usually have strong feedback from previous customers.
“Anyone that's selling wood that's doing a good job will probably have a couple of hundred profiles that say, hey, spot on sort of thing.”
Jones urges the community to be vigilant and take a few extra steps to keep themselves safe when purchasing on online trading platforms.
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