BEWARE!-FACEBOOK MARKETPLACE attacks on the rise!

USERS OF THE BUYING AND SELLING PLATFORM ARE URGED TO SHOP WITH CARE

- Brigid Auchettl

Police have issued a warning to all Australians using online marketplaces following a spate of attacks during buy-and-sell meet-ups.

It comes after a deadly attack in Queensland in July. Three members of a Brisbane family were stabbed after they rejected counterfeit money for an electric scooter they were selling on Facebook Marketplace, 9News reports. Their pet dog was also killed in the confrontation.

Similar violent encounters related to online sales have also occurred in Perth, Melbourne, and Adelaide since February.

In Western Australia, a man suffered cuts to his head and needed a dozen stitches when two teen girls allegedly ambushed him with knives when he arrived to sell them his iPhone.

Similarly, an Adelaide man attempting to sell a phone on Facebook Marketplace was stabbed when a man and a woman came to his home to buy the device. It’s alleged the woman took the phone and ran, while the man stabbed the victim when he tried to stop them fleeing.