Police warn against 'advertising' personal details

ACT Policing is warning private sellers to ensure they keep personal details to a minimum when advertising their property.

The warning comes after members of the Territory Investigations Group (TIG) discovered that a number of trail bikes stolen recently from private residences in Canberra’s south had been advertised for sale.

Further investigations showed that some of the owners of the trail bikes had included their home addresses in the original ‘for sale’ advertisements.

In some of the reported burglaries, offenders had broken into the garages of homes and stolen the trail bikes.

Detective Sergeant Dave Harrison from the Territory Investigations Group said providing any other details other than a phone number effectively advertised to potential thieves where a particular vehicle was being housed.

“Thieves can click on a website and find a particular vehicle they like and can then pinpoint exactly the location where they can find it,” Detective Sergeant Harrison said.

“Police encourage sellers to supply an initial contact point such as a phone number and to only offer further details once they are satisfied they are dealing with a genuine, prospective buyer.

“This allows an exchange of information and an identifiable link between buyer and seller that can be reported to police at a later time should any suspicious circumstances arise.

“Whether you’re selling your bike or any other property, keep details to a minimum and don’t give thieves a roadmap to your property,” Detective Sergeant Dave Harrison said.