Pennsylvania police and Meta share safety tips after recent thefts were tied to online marketplace listings. Learn how to protect your privacy.
Pennsylvania police and Meta share safety tips after recent thefts were tied to online marketplace listings. Learn how to protect your privacy. Police in Pennsylvania are issuing a warning to anyone looking to sell items on online marketplaces as thieves are targeting sellers.
NBC10’s Deanna Durante reports. Police are warning people who sell items through social media marketplaces that the information included in their posts could make it easier for thieves to find their homes. Detective Louis Bell of Hilltown Township Police said the department has investigated about a dozen theft cases over the past several years in which stolen items had been listed for sale on popular social media resale platforms.
"They post their motorcycles or their ATVs for sale, or they post that they're riding them. And, they're innocently trying to conduct legal business," Bell explained. According to Bell, thieves often begin by searching online marketplace listings, then use information included in the posts to identify where sellers live. One couple, Frank and Sheila, said they learned that lesson after deciding to sell several bicycles online.
They said they received numerous inquiries but turned down offers below their asking price.
"You want to give people the benefit of the doubt," Sheila said. "I'm so paranoid now because it's such an invasion of privacy. "Police say thieves have taken advantage of multiple people who are using Facebook Marketplace to sell items online. NBC10 Responds reporter Valeria Aponte-Feliciano has tips on how to prevent your listings from attracting thieves on these platforms.
NBC10 Responds also reached out to Meta for online marketplace safety recommendations. The company said users should start by reviewing their profile privacy settings. Meta said someone who finds a Marketplace listing may also be able to see public posts or photos that reveal a seller's address, family members, vehicles or daily routines. Police and Meta recommend avoiding photos that include recognizable locations, such as a distinctive front porch, house numbers or neighborhood landmarks that could help identify a home.
Investigators also urge sellers to be especially cautious when listing high-value items, including ATVs and dirt bikes, which may attract more criminal attention than everyday household goods. Bell also recommends removing or covering license plates and other identifying information before photographing items for sale. He advises taking photos inside a garage or another location that doesn't reveal details about where you live.
"Don't post your whole account. Post an area next to you," Bell warns.
"Don't use your real name because I can Google anybody's real name and find out exactly where they live, come to their front door. "This story was originally reported for broadcast by NBC Philadelphia. AI tools helped convert the story to a digital article, and an NBC Philadelphia journalist edited the article for publication.
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