The warning comes after a number of armed robberies of victims who have been targeted through false car advertisements on online auction sites.

Between Tuesday 19 November 2019 and Wednesday 22 January 2020, police received 12 reports of armed robberies across Manchester and Oldham relating to online auction sites.

On most occasions, offenders falsely advertised a car on an online auction site and organised to meet the buyers at a given location for the car sale. On arrival, the potential buyers were threatened with weapons – including a gun, a hammer and machetes – and offenders fled with a large quantity of the victim’s cash.

No arrests have been made and enquiries are ongoing.

Detective Sergeant Kat McKeown, of GMP’s City of Manchester division said: “I want to reassure the public that we are taking these armed robberies very seriously and are working with online auction sites and other police forces to conduct a thorough investigation to try and find those responsible.

“These offenders are very deceptive, so I would urge the public to please take note of the advice we have issued about staying safe when buying items online. Please remain alert and cautious, and report anything suspicious to police immediately.

“We are working with the victims that have come forward and I would urge anyone with any information relating to these robberies to get in touch with our investigation team on the numbers below.”

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