People have been warned to take care when selling expensive goods online after a number of frauds - totalling more than £171,000 in one part of the UK alone.
People selling goods on Facebook, Gumtree and eBay are being targetted by scammers - especially people selling high-value items such as watches and mobile phones.
The scammers pose as buyers who meet with the sellers and agree to pay via bank transfer, reports BirminghamLive.
Police say money will appear to be sent to the seller's account - but later, once they have handed over the goods and the buyer has gone - the transfer will fail.
Police say the money can appear as 'pending' in your account, or on mobile apps it can even appear to have cleared.
West Midlands Police has warned sellers to check their online banking via a computer or phone their bank to confirm the payment is complete before handing over items.
Police are investigating 33 separate Action Fraud reports from February alone in the West Midlands, with residents losing a total of £171k.
DC Edward Spokes, from the Economic Crime Unit, said: “The closure of non-essential shops has meant more people are buying and selling their goods online and unfortunately fraudsters are finding ways to take advantage of people even during this difficult time.
“Anyone selling goods online should check with their banks that any payments have cleared their accounts before handing over goods. Funds shown as pending in the account do not necessarily mean that the payment has been completed.”
