The Moose Jaw Police Service says there has been an uptick in complaints its receiving from people being scammed by online buy and sell sites.  They says in many instances, the buyer has made an electronic money transfer prior to learning that the items for sale do not exist or are not at the location specified for pick up.

The Moose Jaw Police Service strongly cautions the public against buying any items sight- unseen from an unknown seller.

The Moose Jaw Police Service highly recommends the following steps to reduce your risk of becoming a victim of online frauds:

– Check out the seller’s online profile to see if they are reputable
– Choose to meet in a public place or have a witness present
– Set up a password for the online money exchange
– Don’t share that password with the seller until you have physically obtained the item
– Don’t give out personal information
– Know when an offer sounds too good to be true