An Australian man was so shocked by a failed Facebook Marketplace deal that he plans to leave his home for good after the alleged perpetrator warned him: “I have your address.”
Julian Rivers-Smith, 33, confronted an armed gang after he invited a potential buyer to collect a laptop from his home in Ascot Vale, in inner-city Melbourne.
He became suspicious when the “buyer” appeared wearing a mask and attempted to use a fake banking website to pay for the laptop during the March 25 incident.
On CCTV of the subsequent confrontation, Mr Rivers-Smith and a friend were seen running inside their home to safety before closing the door.
The scammer, who was allegedly armed with a knife, told him: ‘I have your address, brother. Remember that your car is here.
His accomplice then smashed the windows of Mr Rivers-Smith’s car with a metal baton before fleeing in an allegedly stolen Ford Falcon.
Julian Rivers-Smith, 33, confronted an armed gang after he invited a potential buyer to collect a laptop from his Melbourne home. The confrontation was captured by the security cameras of his house.
Rivers-Smith said he was scared by threats to return home and decided to move interstate.
“This has worried me a lot since the incident,” he said. 7News.
“This has made me not want to live in Victoria anymore,” Mr Rivers-Smith said.
“I left the state literally for the crime, nothing more.”
He said another of his cars was stolen in December, allegedly by the teenager accused of killing young doctor Ash Gordon, 33, during a botched home invasion.
Dr Gordon, 33, was fatally stabbed while chasing two intruders who broke into his Sargent Street home in Doncaster, in inner-city Melbourne.
The bogus buyer’s accomplice smashed the windows of Mr Rivers-Smith’s car with a metal baton before fleeing in an allegedly stolen Ford Falcon (pictured).
Victoria Police said the investigation was ongoing but no arrests had been made.
“It is understood that the victim arranged the sale of a laptop at a residential property on Hockey Lane at around 9.15am,” police said in a statement.
‘Detectives have been told that during the exchange, unknown offenders used objects to significantly damage the victim’s vehicle.
“It is understood that the criminals got into a vehicle and fled the scene.”
Police have asked anyone with information to contact Crime Stoppers.