Police have issued a warning about buy and sell sites on Facebook after tracking down a Victorian man who had stolen a chainsaw from a shed in Stony Chute in October 2016.
The chainsaw was discovered at a Casino address and the new owner told police he had swapped it for a car on a local ‘buy-sell-swap’ page, and had a receipt to prove it.
Police seized the chainsaw and returned it to its rightful owner before tracking down the person who made the swap – a 24-year-old Mildura man from Victoria.
The man was extradited to Dareton NSW for this and other matters, and was charged with Break Enter and Steal and Dispose of Stolen Property.
Crime Prevention Officer Senior Constable David Henderson said it was not the first time that stolen property had been moved through the numerous buy-sell-swap Facebook pages in the northern rivers.
‘In this case the person who made the swap will have to undertake expensive civil action to get his car back,’ Sen Const Henderson said.
He gave a number of tips to prevent being ripped off.
* If a deal seems too good to be true, it probably is.
* If it is dodgy – forget it!
* Always get a receipt and a phone number off the person selling.
* If you have suspicions the property is stolen please take a screenshot and call police.
* Carry out transactions in a public place – especially if a lot of money is involved.
*If serial numbers and engravings are scratched out that is a strong indicator that the goods are stolen.
*Never buy firearms on these sites. There are very heavy penalties in place for illegal possession of firearms and ammunition. All firearms transactions have to go through a licensed firearms dealer.
*If you know of someone who is selling stolen property please call Crimestoppers on 1800 333 000. Crimestoppers are now offering rewards for information that leads to an arrest.
