Online scammers try to con Lismore man

SUSPICIOUS behaviour alerted one Lismore man to a potential scam - the warning signs you should be looking out for when buying and selling online.

Concept stock photograph depicting Cyber Security theme, Thursday, April 28, 2016. Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, who delivers his first budget in May, will look to spend A$230 million on 33 cybersecurity measures involving 100 new jobs, including extra resources for the government's Computer Emergency Response Team, the Australian Crime Commission and the Australian Federal Police. (AAP Image/Dave Hunt) NO ARCHIVING. Picture: DAVE HUNT

A LISMORE resident has dodged a possible scam over the weekend, after he felt something was amiss when trying to sell his car to an online buyer.

The local resident had advertised his 2007 Commodore on eBay and in the paper when he was contacted via email on Saturday from an interested party.

He said the first indicator was the buyer refused to talk over the phone and neglected to ask any questions about the vehicle for sale.

"We sort of knew something shonky was going on then,” the Lismore resident said.

"They've got to ring us up and want to know what the car is all about.”

The next alarm bell was the buyer kept pushing for the sellers PayPal account details and the mention of a shipping agent that no long exists in Australia.

"They were trying to get our PayPal account for some unknown reason, but we didn't give it to them.”

"That's when we knew, we sent them an email saying we were going to contact the police and they didn't get back to us at all after that.”

Senior Constable David Henderson said if a buyer or seller makes unusual demands or is evasive about payment details, then people may want to reconsider.

"Australians reported a loss of $83,561,599 to scammers last year, the reported figure is no doubt much higher,” Snr Const Henderson said.

Snr Const Henderson reminds everyone to use caution and keep an eye out for the warning signs when buying or selling online.

Signs of potential fraudulent behaviour could include:

• A person will try to buy expensive goods without asking questions or inspecting them.
• Asking you to pay transportation or insurance.
• Offer to sell very expensive items at a fraction of their real price.
• Ask you to supply them with your banking details.
• Say that they cannot phone you or see you in person.

"Scammers may also send you a cheque for more than the agreed sale price. They then ask you to refund the difference quickly - before you discover that the cheque has bounced,” Snr Const Henderson said.

Stay up to date on scams by visiting https://www.scamwatch.gov.au and Richmond LAC on Facebook.