North Yorkshire Police said they have received a "number of reports" of a scam targeting individuals selling items on the social media platform.

Explaining the scam, police said: "The buyer agrees to purchase an item and asks for the seller’s address to collect it.

"Following this, the buyer says they need to send UPS to collect the item and that the seller will need to give ‘insurance’ money of a higher value than the item to the driver, which will then be paid back to them once the buyer has the item.

"In the reports we’ve had, the buyers have become quite aggressive and threatened the seller if this tactic has been questioned.

"This is without doubt a scam and one to be vigilant for."

The statement - issued on social media - continues: "If anyone wanting to purchase items from you online becomes aggressive or asks you to pay ‘insurance’ money, you should cease all communication with them.

"Follow our top tips for safe online selling:

"- If a buyer becomes pushy, aggressive or makes you feel uncomfortable, don’t be afraid to block them and report them to Facebook.

"- If anything doesn’t feel right about an online sale, cancel it.

"- Don’t give away personal information in the advert and if you need to provide your address for a buyer to collect an item, only do so once you are confident they have committed to buy it."

If you’re at all worried by the behaviour of anyone contacting you through an online selling site, contact the police on 101.

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Facebook Marketplace scam: Police in Yorkshire issue urgent warning - this is how you could be targeted