If you ever buy goods on Facebook, this will serve as a reminder to ensure your sellers are legitimate.

Tauranga Police have recently received a number of reports around online sales scam on Facebook.

One of the scams involves sellers selling smartphones at a price incredulously lower than its retail price, and to make it more enticing they even throw in a freebie like a smart watch.

'There are also sellers offering smartphone editions that have not even been released such as a seller who offered an iPhone 12 Pro Max at just $1600,” says a post on the Bay of Plenty & Taupo Police Facebook page.

'There are also complaints of goods not delivered even after a payment has been made.

Potential buyers are urged to exercise caution when conducting online transaction on popular trading pages on Facebook.

'It's always recommended that you arrange for pick-ups so you are able to make the payment in person and collect the item.”

Police say there are also concerns of dodgy sellers hijacking legitimate business sites and using the screen grabs of these websites to mislead a buyer into thinking that the sellers' products are authentic.

'Remember, don't buy goods from anyone who you are unsure about, never pay money into another account without verifying who the account belongs to, and lastly – if an offer seems too good to be true, it probably is.

'If you have been victim of a scam or if you have any information about suspicious activity call 105 to report it.”