Law enforcement officials are warning Americans not to buy products on Facebook Marketplace following a series of thefts across the country.
Criminals are creating fake profiles on the social media platform, with many claiming to have cars for sale to lure unsuspecting victims to meet in person.
New York authorities have called the rise in Marketplace thefts a “crime of opportunity” after 90 related crimes were reported this year, up from 58 last year.
Other reports of criminal activity come from as far away as Alaska, California, Illinois and Virginia; Data has shown that almost all states have been victims.
Thieves have stolen hundreds of thousands of dollars and personal items, including phones and cars from victims, and those crimes have resulted in at least one death this year.
NYPD is searching for two men who posed as car sellers on Facebook Marketplace and robbed potential buyers or sellers nine times in the Bronx and Queens.
More than one billion people buy a product on Facebook Marketplace each month around the world, representing around 40 percent of the platform’s three billion active users.
Thieves have broken into the market under the pretext of selling or buying products and have met people in less populated places.
“They are luring people to isolated areas because they know there are no cameras there and that makes our investigation more challenging,” said NYPD Deputy Chief Jason Savino. PIX11 News.
The NYPD is currently searching for two men who have posed as car salesmen on the platform and robbed potential buyers or sellers nine times in the Bronx and Queens since December 29.
The criminals escaped with $10,000 in cash from the victims in at least two robberies and stole the victims’ cars or smaller amounts of money during the other attacks.
Before accepting a sale, you should first review their profile to make sure it looks real and leave them alone during the day in a busy, public area to protect yourself from possible theft.
There are warning signs to watch for on Facebook Marketplace, even if the person doesn’t have a profile photo that shows their face, has no posts, and/or only has one friend on Facebook.
Reports have increased in other states, including Anchorage, Alaska, where two or three men attacked unsuspecting shoppers gathering to buy shoes and stole all their possessions.
Similarly, in Indianapolis, a 22-year-old man was convicted in March of robbing five people at gunpoint after using Facebook Marketplace to lure them to a secluded area with the intention of buying a car.
Officials have said there are warning signs to watch for on Facebook Marketplace, including if the person does not have a profile photo that shows their face, has no posts and/or only has one friend on Facebook.
In response to the rise in Marketplace crime, police across the United States have established “safe trading zones” in their precincts that are under 24/7 surveillance where sellers and buyers can meet. in a safe way.
“If you’re making a transaction with a person and there’s fear and they don’t want to go to a police station, maybe you shouldn’t make that transaction,” said NYPD Community Affairs Commissioner Mark Stewart. ABC7 News.
Police do not actively monitor the cameras, but if a robbery occurs in one of the areas, the video will provide detectives and investigators with a good amount of video footage to find the criminal.
Although the cameras are not being monitored, “if someone is willing to meet at a police station, the likelihood that they will do something that will harm them is unlikely,” said Detective Bryan Ferreiras of the Richmond Police Department in Virginia. 12News.
Police also suggested asking an officer to be present in the parking lot when you meet the buyer or seller or you can arrange the meeting at a local police station, with no appointment necessary.
“We don’t mind having people in the parking lot doing a safe exchange because it’s one less incident we have to worry about on the street,” Ferreiras told 12News.
Before accepting a sale, you should first review their profile to make sure it looks real and only meet during the day in a public, busy area to protect yourself from possible theft.
‘Daylight hours are recommended. And then two, at their local precinct locations,” said NYPD Capt. Spiro Papavlasopoulos. CBS News.
‘Does the deal sound too good to be true? So it probably isn’t. You should consider canceling that transaction,” she added.
Don’t meet someone just for the transaction or tell anyone who you’re meeting and where, and make a plan to contact them once the exchange is complete.
In case something goes wrong, make sure you have preemptively taken screenshots of your conversation with the seller so you have evidence to provide to the police and, if you are robbed, memorize the suspects and their vehicle.
DailyMail.com has contacted Facebook’s parent company Meta for comment.