Nelson Police are urging resident to be vigilant when sending money after a woman reported being defrauded during a sale on social media.
On Thursday, October 17, the woman was selling an item on Facebook Marketplace and was contacted by someone who agreed to pay a deposit for the item.
The buyer sent the seller what appeared to be an E-transfer for $50.00.
The woman clicked on the link and entered her banking information. Shortly after, she was notified by her bank that $2,000 had been taken from her account via E-transfer.
Police advised the victim to contact her bank, in which she was able to close her account and get reimbursed by the bank for the money that was stolen.
Police queried the name of the individual who contacted the victim on Facebook but it appeared to be a pseudonym.
“Frauds like this one are common. Predatory web pages can look almost identical to legitimate ones. Setting up Auto-deposit for E-transfers to your account is a way to safeguard against having to enter banking details to accept money.” said Nelson Police.
“It is also best to avoid sending or receiving money from someone you have not met in person. If you are unsure about the legitimacy of a transaction, do not go through with it. If you have been defrauded, contact police and your bank as soon as possible.”
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