When Linda Johnston posted an advertisement on Gumtree to sell a set of three suitcases, she was surprised to hear from an interested buyer within 15 minutes.
“I was excited to get such a quick sale, because sometimes you’re waiting weeks,” the 61-year-old resident of Sellicks Beach in South Australia says.
The buyer didn’t ask for a steep discount either — something she had experienced many times before.
It looked like a promising sale, with one catch.
The ‘Australia Post’ scam
Linda’s potential buyer lived in Forster on the New South Wales Mid North Coast and would need to arrange shipping.
“I can pay through AusPost and arrange delivery right now,” the buyer wrote in a message, adding that an Australia Post courier would be in touch to arrange a time to pack and pick up the suitcases.
Then, the buyer sent a link to “confirm order” and “receive your money”.
Linda clicked on the link and was taken to what looked like a genuine Australia Post site.
“I realised it was a scam when they were asking for bank card details – not the bank account details,” Linda says.
“I just felt pretty stupid – this is probably the first time I’ve gotten close to being scammed like this.”
More than $7 million lost in classified scams in Australia
Linda is not alone.
