Liz Coates
A Gorleston man has shared his experience of how a Facebook Marketplace meet-up turned nasty and he was robbed of a £2,000 laptop. – Credit: PA
A Gorleston man claims he was forced to handover a £2,000 laptop to Facebook fraudsters who came to his home and pretended to pay for it with a fake bank app.
The 34-year-old, who asked for his identity to be protected, said when he queried the payment the men became threatening and intimidating leaving him with no choice but to let them take the device.
The man said he posted the Apple MacBook Pro for sale on Facebook Marketplace the day before and made arrangements for the buyer to call at his home to complete the purchase.
Two men arrived at around 2pm on Tuesday (January 25) as arranged, and having obtained his bank details showed him what appeared to be a completed transaction on a phone which he became suspicious about.
The seller said he was alert to scams having already weeded out some potential buyers he was wary of, and wanted to warn others to be on their guard.
« I am a security conscious person and they got the better of me, » he said.
« I just wanted them off my property.
« It was a terrifying experience.
« It is a very sophisticated scam. Had it not been for the intimidation they would not have got away with anything.
« There were two of them and one of me and I did not know them from Adam. I had little to no choice but to let them have it.
« It seemed to go on for an eternity but the whole thing took around an hour and a half. »
As well as the financial loss the man said he was also worried about what they could do with his personal information and was cancelling all his cards, changing bank accounts and his mobile number in bid to prevent being a victim of further fraud.
Norfolk Police have confirmed they are investigating.
A statement said: « Officers have received a report of theft following an incident in which a laptop, which was reportedly purchased online, was not paid for.
« The incident happened on Avondale Road in Gorleston when the victim, a man aged in his 30s, handed over to the item to the suspect(s) before later realising he had not received payment. Enquiries are ongoing. »
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