POLICE have warned people selling items on Facebook Marketplace to be vigilant after scams were reported in the Flintshire and Wrexham areas.

Officers took to social media to raise awareness of the new scam that has been reported in the two county areas in recent days.

Explaining what victims fall foul to, a North Wales Police spokesman said: “Victims have been advertising expensive items on Facebook Marketplace and the suspects make contact offering to purchase the item.

“The suspects arrive to collect the item claiming they cannot pay in cash and offer to make a bank transfer.

“The victim is shown that a transaction has taken place and they hand the item to the suspects who then leave.

"Later the victim discovers that the transaction was unsuccessful.”

Police add that enquiries are ongoing in relation to these recent incidents in Flintshire and Wrexham.

In the meantime, they would advise sellers to be vigilant and use trusted payment systems (such as PayPal) or check with the bank that transactions have been completed.

You can report any suspicious behaviour or activity to North Wales Police online via https://www.northwales.police.uk/contact/af/contact-us/.

Alternatively, call 101 in a non-emergency situation or 999 in an emergency.

Top tips for using Marketplace direct from Facebook:

View the person's profile:

• Learn more about the person you are buying from or selling to.

• You can tap a person's profile on the product listing page to see the friends you have in common, their Marketplace activity and any ratings they may have received.

Report listings that look suspicious:

• Make sure to check seller profiles. See what else they've sold and read listing descriptions carefully.

• If something doesn't seem right, you can report them to Facebook.

Inspect the item:

• If possible, make sure to thoroughly inspect or test the item before buying it.

Use cash or person-to-person payment methods:

• Facebook recommends using PayPal or cash.

• When selling an item, consider asking for full payment instead of instalments.

• If you choose to use PayPal, make sure to protect yourself against other common PayPal scams.

Protect your personal information:

• Facebook strongly advise against sharing personal information, such as your payment login and password details or bank account info.

• Don't share your personal financial information to make or accept a purchase.

• If you're selling electronics, make sure that you've cleared any personal information from the device.

Know what items and actions are allowed on Facebook:

• Facebook does not allow the sale of counterfeit, illegal or stolen items.

• You can find a full list of what you can and can't sell by checking Facebook’s Commerce Policies online.