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CBC
3 days ago
- General
- CBC
Police warn of 'uptick' in online marketplace thefts in Waterloo region
Social Sharing Before deciding to post unwanted items online, the Waterloo Regional Police Service (WRPS) are reminding people to make they're being as safe as possible. Const. Melissa Quarrie, a public information officer at WRPS, told CBC K-W's The Morning Edition host Craig Norris, that police tend to see a little "uptick" in calls for online marketplace buy-and-sell robberies during the spring and summer months. "I don't know if that's connected to people doing spring cleaning, or wanting to refresh their residences or things that they're owning, but we do see these things happen not infrequently," said Quarrie. In a news release Sunday, WRPS said they continue to investigate a "person on person robbery" that happened in the area of Hollywood Court and Birmingham Drive in Cambridge in mid-February. A more recent robbery happened in mid-March. Police said a person, who thought they were meeting up with a buyer for the cellphone they posted online, was threatened with a machete. The victim's phone was then stolen. The robbery happened in the area of Pattandon Avenue and Mill Street in Kitchener. A Kitchener man was later arrested and charged. "It's definitely a cause for concern when people are just trying to sell their items and are experiencing violence or theft," said Quarrie. 'Trust your gut' Quarrie says there are often clues to spotting a fraudulent buyer or seller. "Someone who has a really quick timeline, someone who isn't able to answer any of your follow up questions, anyone who's wanting to exchange e-transfers or cash-in-advance payments," are some of the common signs, she said. "If something doesn't feel right, trust your gut." There are also other steps a person can take to ensure that an online buy-and-sell transaction will be as safe as possible, said Quarrie. The first step is doing as much background research as possible. Having recently sold a change table herself, she says "inquiring the person's name, their phone number, [and] checking their rating as a buyer and a seller on the application," would be a good start in vetting a buyer. A recently created profile also presents a red flag. "Ask some follow up questions to people," Quarrie said. "If something doesn't feel right, then you can always decline the sale." For buyers on the other hand, Quarrie says it's always good to remember that "if something feels too good to be true, it likely is." She advises against making advance payments before the meet-up. She also said to make sure you tell someone where you're going, who you're meeting, and what time you're supposed to meet. "Even better if you can bring a partner with you, or a trusted person who can go and be there to provide support," Quarrie said. "There's safety in numbers in cases like this." As for locations where you can safely do these transactions, WRPS have designated three safe exchange spots in the region: Doing the transactions in these locations are effective for a reason; the optics. Ron Piché, a defence lawyer in Saskatoon, told CBC News that "criminals don't want to be anywhere close to a police headquarters or a jail." Now in case a person has to do the transaction at their home address – as is sometimes the case with larger items such as furniture – Quarrie suggests making sure you are not home alone, and that your children are not with you. "And don't give out your address until the very last step," she added. If anything happens when conducting a buy-and-sell transaction, people are urged to call 911.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Police warn of 'uptick' in online marketplace thefts in Waterloo region
Before deciding to post unwanted items online, the Waterloo Regional Police Service (WRPS) are reminding people to make they're being as safe as possible. Const. Melissa Quarrie, a public information officer at WRPS, told CBC K-W's The Morning Edition host Craig Norris, that police tend to see a little "uptick" in calls for online marketplace buy-and-sell robberies during the spring and summer months. "I don't know if that's connected to people doing spring cleaning, or wanting to refresh their residences or things that they're owning, but we do see these things happen not infrequently," said Quarrie. In a news release Sunday, WRPS said they continue to investigate a "person on person robbery" that happened in the area of Hollywood Court and Birmingham Drive in Cambridge in mid-February. A more recent robbery happened in mid-March. Police said a person, who thought they were meeting up with a buyer for the cellphone they posted online, was threatened with a machete. The victim's phone was then stolen. The robbery happened in the area of Pattandon Avenue and Mill Street in Kitchener. A Kitchener man was later arrested and charged. "It's definitely a cause for concern when people are just trying to sell their items and are experiencing violence or theft," said Quarrie. 'Trust your gut' Quarrie says there are often clues to spotting a fraudulent buyer or seller. "Someone who has a really quick timeline, someone who isn't able to answer any of your follow up questions, anyone who's wanting to exchange e-transfers or cash-in-advance payments," are some of the common signs, she said. "If something doesn't feel right, trust your gut." There are also other steps a person can take to ensure that an online buy-and-sell transaction will be as safe as possible, said Quarrie. The first step is doing as much background research as possible. Having recently sold a change table herself, she says "inquiring the person's name, their phone number, [and] checking their rating as a buyer and a seller on the application," would be a good start in vetting a buyer. A recently created profile also presents a red flag. "Ask some follow up questions to people," Quarrie said. "If something doesn't feel right, then you can always decline the sale." For buyers on the other hand, Quarrie says it's always good to remember that "if something feels too good to be true, it likely is." She advises against making advance payments before the meet-up. She also said to make sure you tell someone where you're going, who you're meeting, and what time you're supposed to meet. "Even better if you can bring a partner with you, or a trusted person who can go and be there to provide support," Quarrie said. "There's safety in numbers in cases like this." As for locations where you can safely do these transactions, WRPS have designated three safe exchange spots in the region: North Division - 45 Columbia Street East, Waterloo. Headquarters (front parking lot) - 200 Maple Grove Road, Cambridge. South Division – 176 Hespeler Road, Cambridge. Doing the transactions in these locations are effective for a reason; the optics. Ron Piché, a defence lawyer in Saskatoon, told CBC News that "criminals don't want to be anywhere close to a police headquarters or a jail." Now in case a person has to do the transaction at their home address – as is sometimes the case with larger items such as furniture – Quarrie suggests making sure you are not home alone, and that your children are not with you. "And don't give out your address until the very last step," she added. If anything happens when conducting a buy-and-sell transaction, people are urged to call 911.
The Sun
27-05-2025
- Business
- The Sun
I've made £4,000 on Vinted – here are my top tips, including what to write in your product's description
A SAVVY seller has shared her top tips for making money on Vinted, after she made £4000 from selling her old clothes. Vinted is an online marketplace where people can buy and sell second hand clothes, shoes and accessories. It's completely free to upload clothes to the app and Vinted does not take a cut of sellers' profits and instead charges buyers a small fee to purchase each item. TikToker Dassie Andreu (@dassieandreu) is a Vinted whizz, and took to the video sharing platform to share the tips she uses to make quick sales. Consistency Dassie revealed that when using Vinted, it is important to upload regularly. "And I mean every couple of days," she said. Vinted orders items on its site from newest to oldest, so if you are constantly uploading items, your profile will always appear at the top of the site. Keywords In order to make your items visible to as many people as possible, Dassie revealed you need to use lots of keywords in the item description. "Don't just say boy's jumper, say boy's blue navy jumper, long sleeves, warm, perfect for the chilly season." Parcel Presentation To make sellers come back and buy your items again, Dassie said it is important to package them nicely. Sharing a clip of a parcel she collected recently from a seller, Dassie said: "It looks really unprofessional, and I probably wouldn't buy from this seller again. "There were even holes in the bag." I made £550 in 48 hours reselling clothes but NOT on Vinted - I found a platform where sellers get the full asking price - Online marketplaces like Vinted and Depop have millions of users across the UK, with the cost-of-living crisis only increasing their popularity. One in six people now say they buy used items, according to research commissioned by review site Trustpilot. So, now's the perfect time to make yourself some extra cash on the likes of Vinted. According to the popular platform, sellers do not have to pay tax on earnings they make from the site. QUICK facts on tax from the team at Vinted... The only time that an item might be taxable is if it sells for more than £6,000 and there is profit (sells for more than you paid for it). Even then, you can use your capital gains tax-free allowance of £3,000 to offset it. Generally, only business sellers trading for profit (buying goods with the purpose of selling for more than they paid for them) might need to pay tax. Business sellers who trade for profit can use a tax-free allowance of £1,000, which has been in place since 2017. More information here: This, HMRC stated, is because selling personal items through platforms like Vinted is not itself taxable. ''If the money a member makes on Vinted over a year is less than the amount they paid for the items they are selling, then there is no tax to pay,'' a Vinted spokesperson explained. ''Generally, only business sellers "trading" for profit might need to pay tax. ''A tax-free allowance of £1,000 has been in place since 2017 for people who trade for profit.''
CTV News
25-05-2025
- CTV News
Police looking for suspects of marketplace theft that happened in Cambridge
The Waterloo Regional P:olice Service are looking for these two suspects in connection to an online marketplace theft. (Courtesy: WRPS) Police are looking for tips after a person-on-person robbery in Cambridge three months ago. On Feb. 12, Waterloo Regional Police were called to the area of Hollywood Court and Birmingham said the victim of the theft was selling an item from an online marketplace and planned to meet with the alleged buyers in the location. When they met, a fight allegedly broke out and the suspects left with the item. Police said minor injuries were reported. Police released a picture of two suspects connected to the incident. They're asking anyone with information to call police at 519-570-9777 extension 6370.
South China Morning Post
19-05-2025
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong woman selling electric toothbrush online loses HK$800,000 in scam
A Hong Kong woman trying to sell an electric toothbrush on a popular online marketplace fell victim to a scam that cost her HK$800,000 (US$102,370). The victim, a 38-year-old living on Bonham Road in the Mid-Levels, had listed the item on Carousell and was approached by a supposed buyer expressing interest. The buyer claimed the payment would be completed online and a link was provided for the transaction. The seller clicked the link and followed the instructions and later realised HK$800,000 had been withdrawn from her account without her authorisation. She reported the incident to police on Monday. The case is being handled by the Western district investigation team.
