Police are warning people to be on their guard against an online scam.
Staffordshire Police say a trend has emerged of mobile phones being sold on platforms such as Facebook Marketplace.
The handset is sold as new and sealed in the original box – but when the buyer gets home and opens it, the item is revealed as a fake.
A Staffordshire Police spokesperson said:
“To avoid falling victim to this scam check that the item is as described and you are happy with it before handing over payment.
“Look at the profile of the person you’re buying from for any causes of concern too, such as being recently set up, having few friends and not being tagged in any photos or posts.
“As always with online sales and as a general rule, if a deal seems too good to be true, it probably is.”
Staffordshire Police spokesperson
