Quickly exit this site by pressing the Escape key Leave this site
We use some essential cookies to make our website work. We’d like to set additional cookies so we can remember your preferences and understand how you use our site.
You can manage your preferences and cookie settings at any time by clicking on “Customise Cookies” below. For more information on how we use cookies, please see our Cookies notice.
Your cookie preferences have been saved. You can update your cookie settings at any time on the cookies page.
Your cookie preferences have been saved. You can update your cookie settings at any time on the cookies page.
Sorry, there was a technical problem. Please try again.
This site is a beta, which means it's a work in progress and we'll be adding more to it over the next few weeks. Your feedback helps us make things better, so please let us know what you think.
We are sharing some cautionary advice about buying/selling online, particularly through Facebook Marketplace, and the risks that you could face.
Police recently received a report of a garage burglary in Portchester on 10 July whereby an E-bike was stolen.
The victim had put an E-bike up for sale online and given their address to someone they believed to be a prospective buyer, before their garage was broken into.
The investigation into this particular incident remains ongoing.
The stolen bike is described as a white and orange KTM, with serial number M5847C9253. If you have been offered the sale of this bike, or have any information to assist enquiries, please contact police on 101 quoting 44240291056, or submit information online here: https://www.hampshire.police.uk/tua/tell-us-about/cor/tell-us-about-existing-case-report/
Alternatively, you can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers 100% anonymously on 0800 555 111, or via their anonymous online form at crimestoppers-uk.org
Selling online is extremely common, and the majority of prospective buyers are legitimate, however there are unfortunately individuals who exploit online sales forums to commit crime.
When you are either selling or buying online and through Facebook Marketplace, you never truly know who you are dealing with, as criminals can hide behind a social media profile.
We would like to take this opportunity to remind people to be vigilant when buying and selling via social media.
Some ways you can protect yourself as a buyer or seller online are:
If you have experienced this type of crime, we encourage you to report it to police on 101, or by using the report tool on our website: www.hampshire.police.uk
For more information and advice, or to report fraud you can also visit www.actionfraud.police.uk