Police warn about Facebook Marketplace after string of robberies across US… here’s how YOU can stay safe

Police officials are warning Americans against purchasing goods on Facebook Marketplace after a series of robberies across the country.

Criminals are creating fake profiles on the social media platform, with many claiming to have cars for sale to lure unsuspecting victims into meeting in person.

New York law enforcement authorities have called the rise in Marketplace robberies a “crime of opportunity” after 90 related crimes were reported this year, up from 58 last year.

Other reports of criminal activity come from Alaska to California, Illinois and Virginia; data shows that almost every state has fallen victim.

The robbers stole hundreds of thousands of dollars and personal items, including the victim’s phones and cars, and such crimes have ended with at least one death this year.

Every month, more than a billion people worldwide buy a product on Facebook Marketplace, representing about 40 percent of the platform’s three billion active users.

Robbers have entered the market under the guise of selling or buying products and have arranged to meet people in less populated places.

“They are attracting people to remote areas because they know there are no cameras there, which makes our investigation more challenging,” NYPD Deputy Chief Jason Savino said. PIX11 news.

New York police are currently looking for two men who posed as car salesmen on the train platform and robbed potential buyers or sellers nine times in the Bronx and Queens since December 29.

The criminals escaped with $10,000 in cash from the victims in at least two robberies and stole the victims’ cars or smaller amounts of cash during the other attacks.

Before agreeing to a sale, check their profile first to make sure it looks genuine and only meet during the day in a public and crowded area to protect yourself from a possible robbery

There are red flags to look out for on Facebook Marketplace, such as if the person doesn’t have a profile photo showing their face, has no posts, and/or only has one Facebook friend.

Reports have increased in other states, including Anchorage, Alaska, where two or three men attacked unsuspecting shoppers who gathered to buy shoes and robbed them of all their belongings.

Similarly, in Indianapolis in March, a 22-year-old was convicted of robbing five people at gunpoint after using Facebook Marketplace to lure them to a remote area with the intention of buying a car.

Officials have said there are red flags to look out for on Facebook Marketplace, such as if the person doesn’t have a profile photo showing his or her face, has no posts and/or has only one Facebook friend.

In response to the increase in crimes on the Marketplace, police in the US have set up ‘safe exchange zones’ on their premises, which are supervised 24/7 and where sellers and buyers can meet safely.

“If you’re doing a transaction with someone and there’s fear and if he or she doesn’t want to go to a police station, maybe you shouldn’t do that transaction,” said NYPD Community Affairs Commissioner Mark Stewart. ABC7 News.

Police don’t actively monitor the cameras, but if a robbery does occur in one of the zones, the video gives detectives and detectives a good amount of video footage to find the criminal.

Even though the cameras aren’t being monitored, “if someone is willing to meet at a police station, he or she is unlikely to do anything to harm you,” said Detective Bryan Ferreiras of the Richmond Police Department in Virginia. 12News.

Police have also suggested asking an officer to be present in the parking lot when meeting the buyer or seller, or arranging the meeting at a local police station, without an appointment.

“We don’t mind if people do a safe exchange in the parking lot because that’s one less incident we have to worry about on the street,” Ferreiras told 12News.

Before agreeing to a sale, check their profile first to make sure it looks genuine and only meet during the day in a public and busy area to protect yourself from a possible robbery.

‘Daylight hours are recommended. And then two more, at your local police station,” NYPD Captain Spiro Papavlasopoulos said CBS News.

‘Deal sounds too good to be true? Then that is probably not the case. You should consider canceling that transaction,” he added.

Don’t go to someone alone for the transaction or let someone know who you’re meeting and where, and make a plan to contact them once the exchange is over.

If something goes wrong, make sure you have preemptively taken screenshots of your conversation with the seller so you have evidence for the police and if you get robbed, remember the suspects and their vehicle.

DailyMail.com has contacted Facebook’s parent company, Meta, for comment.