A CONMAN is prowling Swindon social media sites to prey on unsuspecting sellers and steal their goods.

Now Rachel Tasker is warning others to be on their guard after she nearly fell victim to the man who turned up at her Swindon home after she advertised an iPhone for sale.

She has urged people on Facebook to be wary of anyone offering to pay for goods by bank transfer.

She said: “If I wasn’t clued up enough I would have been scammed. The man came to my house asked me my best price then proceeded to transfer the money to me.

“He showed me the transaction and asked if it had gone into my account, it hadn’t. He then tried getting me to take a picture of the transaction page and I refused and said unless the money was in my account then the phone would not be leaving my house.

“As soon as he realised I wasn’t going to let it go he left and said let me know when the money goes in and he would collect it.

“Obviously the money isn’t going to arrive, so please just be vigilant. It was definitely a scam, he paid nearly £500 to me or so he was trying to make me believe and said he would come back to collect it when the money goes in, if he was genuine I would have heard from him since.”

After posting her warning she was contacted by another woman who had experienced a similar situation but she had been taken in by the con man.

Others on Facebook realised they, or someone they knew, had also been approached in a similar way. One person said: “This happened to my brother the other day, exactly the same.

“Didn’t let the phone go either which is good.”

Another added: “Tried to do the same to me buying a Samsung.

“Used a Metro banking app and then wanted to go as he said his taxi was coming and would send me confirmation and a WhatsApp. After he left he just blocked me. Was super pushy to take the phone but wasn’t happening.”

A spokesman for Wiltshire Police urged people to be on their guard and to check and check again before handing over money.

The spokesman said: “Never send money to anyone you don’t know or trust, whether in the UK or abroad, or use methods of payment you’re not comfortable with.

“Never give banking or personal details to anyone you don’t know or trust.

“This information is valuable so make sure you protect it.

“Don’t be embarrassed about reporting a scam. Because the scammers are cunning and clever there’s no shame in being deceived. By reporting it, you’ll make it more difficult for them to deceive others.

“If you think you’ve uncovered a scam, been targeted by a scam or fallen victim to fraudsters, contact Action Fraud on 03001232040.