Amounts of $50 to $40,000 have been lost in Whakatāne because of Facebook Marketplace fraud.

Police said once money was transferred, anything from an item not being received after payment or an account being closed were common occurrences.

Senior sergeant Cam MacKinnon recommended people pick up items in person, and to be suspicious of posts selling items.

Some red flags include sellers asking for part payments, anything coming from overseas or being asked to supply your details.

Notable recent scams include a slew of container fraud from various places including overseas.

“The minute it’s from overseas, there’s almost zilch we can do,” he said.

“If you are going online, be careful.”