Facebook scammer used fake £20 notes to buy Xbox from Wiltshire woman

The fraudster messaged his victim after spotting the sale of the £465 videogame console on social media, then arranged to pick up the purchase in person on her doorstep on March 9.

He paid in cash and the seller only realised the notes were fake after she had handed the Xbox over and closed the door.

She said: "My partner was working away so he asked me to help sell his Xbox. I replied to the messages and thought the buyer's Facebook page looked a bit odd.

"I wondered if he was dodgy but when I spoke to him on the phone, he seemed genuine, like he was from London, a bit of a geezer.

"After changing when we could meet up a few times, he arrived and kept counting his money in front of me, maybe as a distraction.

"I looked at the notes afterwards and something didin't seem right. The bank confirmed they were fake, as there was a missing hologram and they all had the same serial number.

"I was so disappointed, I don't see how anyone can be that dishonest and think that's an OK thing to do, but I suppose it can happen to anyone.

"I was worried about what my partner would think - he was annoyed and I felt a bit guilty, like it was my fault."

Police issued adviceon what to watch out for when selling goods online and how to avoid falling victim to the same scam.

A Wiltshire Police spokesman said: "A man in his 20s had placed an Xbox X series for sale on Facebook – a man made contact with the seller’s partner while he was away and agreed to pay £465 for the item. He attended the address in Warminster to collect the Xbox and pay in cash.

"However, when the woman went to pay the cash into her bank, they confirmed that £460 worth of the £465 notes were fake notes. The notes were retained by the bank and sent to The Bank of England.

"We’d like to speak to the man pictured in connection with the incident."

Call police on 101.