Australians warned innocent Facebook Marketplace photos could lead criminals straight into their homes

Australians selling items on Facebook Marketplace are being warned seemingly harmless photos and personal details could lead criminals straight to their homes.

The warning comes amid a spike in attacks linked to online trading platforms across Australia.

WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Online marketplace scams putting Aussie sellers at risk

NSW Police Detective Superintendent Rob Critchlow told Sunrise on Tuesday sellers could unknowingly expose far more than they realise through their advertisments and Facebook profiles.

“People put their family details and it’s not just the transaction, it’s their history on Facebook,” he said.

“So, when someone logs in a marketplace, you can see their profile, so if you’ve got history of your house and your family and your cars and your items, the buyer can see that.”

Critchlow said photographs taken inside a home could also reveal other valuables beyond the item being advertised, potentially exposing the poster to theft.

Small, valuable items that can be quickly resold are particularly attractive to opportunistic criminals.

“Mobile phones are a big thing, and we saw a lot of robberies through Gumtree years ago where people would bring their mobile phones to upgrade, sell them and get robbed.”

Collectables, jewellery, electronics and gaming devices such as PlayStation 5 consoles are also considered higher-risk items because they are valuable and easily disposed of.

Buyers can also be placed in danger by advertisements offering expensive products at unusually low prices, with criminals potentially using fake listings to lure victims carrying cash to a meeting place.

“If something’s too good to be true, it’s too good to be true,” Critchlow said.

“Everyone knows what intrinsic value things have, and something’s really cheap is to lure you in as a buyer to maybe defraud you or make you bring the cash to them and then they rob you for the cash.”

Marketplace users are being urged to examine the profile of anyone seeking to buy or sell an expensive item, particularly if the account appears to have been created recently.