Man out $500, gas money due to fake trailer scam, police say

$500 fake trailer scam

Photo: Castanet File Photo

A Nakusp man travelled more than 150 kilometres and lost $500 attempting to purchase a utility trailer from a Facebook scammer, police say.

According to police, a man from Nakusp travelled to Malakwa on Nov. 25 to purchase a utility trailer he had seen listed on Facebook Marketplace.

The man sent the seller a $500 deposit prior to driving in person to see the trailer.

“When he arrived at the agreed upon address the elderly resident advised him the seller did not live there and she did not have a trailer for sale,” Sicamous RCMP Sgt. Murray McNeil said in a news release.

“The man noted the ad had been removed and the account that posted the ad was closed.”

McNeil said it is never advisable to pay a deposit to a stranger for an item posted online.

For more information about common scams and how to protect yourself, visit the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre's website.