Buying or selling online? Beware of scammers and question everything, police and fraud victims warn [Video]

Shannon Church of Kenilworth, Ont., was looking for cast iron planters and turned to Facebook Marketplace in hopes of getting a deal.  

She regularly visits the online buying and selling site, and on Dec. 1, she contacted a person who said they lived in Kitchener, and whose advertised price she liked.

“We agreed on four planters for $50,” Church said in an interview with CBC. “I was very clear about reiterating that [price] and it was all confirmed and everything.”

The seller asked Church to send an e-transfer and gave her an address in Kitchener to pick up the planters.

“He called multiple times before I sent the e-transfer to confirm I was going to send it,” she said.

But Church never got her planters. Once she sent the money, the seller stopped answering her calls or texts.

After that, Church looked up the Kitchener address the seller had given …