Hampshire Police warn over selling off-road vehicles online
Criminals using image metadata to target high-value motorbikes, quad bikes and all-terrain vehicles
Police are urging those selling high value off-road motorcycles, quad-bikes and ATVs online, particularly on Facebook Marketplace and Gumtree, to be vigilant following a number of reports of thefts or attempted thefts.
It comes after numerous sellers have received a call or message from people pretending to be ‘buyers’ and requesting an image or a video of the vehicle engine running from the seller.
Those pretending to be ‘buyers’ have then extracted the image metadata – which allows users to see when and where the image or video was taken – allowing the bike to be pinpointed to a specific location. The vehicles are then targeted by criminals and are often stolen or attempts made to steal the vehicles.
Police advice:
• Ensure that ‘location’ settings are switched off on your mobile device / camera if you’re then sending images to prospective ‘buyers’; this would mitigate against the location metadata being extracted and the vehicle located
• If asked for additional images or videos from prospective buyers, upload them directly to your online listing; do not send them directly.
• Do not provide you home or work address to buyers; arrange to meet them in a public place or neutral location
• Report any crimes or suspicious activity via the online reporting tool Report a crime | Hampshire Constabulary