The Snatch and Run: How Melbourne Sellers Are Losing Phones and Laptops

Not every Marketplace scam happens online. Some happen in a park, in a car park, in the time it takes someone to grab your phone and sprint into the darkness.

This is the snatch and run. It is not sophisticated. It does not require a fake PayID email or a phishing link. It requires a seller, a meeting spot, and a thief who can run faster than you.

If you are selling high value tech in Melbourne right now, you need to know how this works.

A $1,600 Lesson in Inner Melbourne

In April 2024, Melbourne entrepreneur Adam Metwally listed his MacBook Pro on Facebook Marketplace. He needed to sell it quickly before flying overseas. A buyer got in touch, they agreed on a price, and Metwally arranged to meet him in an inner city suburb late that evening.

When the buyer arrived, he asked to inspect the laptop. Metwally handed it over. The buyer asked to check the serial number on the bottom of the device. Metwally flipped the laptop over.

That was the moment.

"In the process of doing that, he grabs it and bolts down into the park," Metwally later explained on TikTok. "Then I start chasing him."

Metwally pursued the thief into a nearby park but stopped himself. The buyer had seemed "a bit suss" from the start. What if he had a knife? What if there were others waiting around the corner?

He let the laptop go. He was out $1,600.

"If your gut says something's suss, just leave," Metwally said in his warning video. "I've lost a $1,600 laptop now, thanks to some scumbag."

This Is Not an Isolated Incident

Victoria Police developed their Safer Exchange Sites program specifically because of this trend. According to Commander Tim Tully, who oversees Melbourne's northern suburbs, the initiative came after "an increase in robberies, thefts and assaults linked to online trading, which peaked in 2020 before COVID lockdowns."

While the numbers dropped during the pandemic, police did not want to see the trend return once restrictions lifted.

The pattern is consistent across cases: sellers of phones, laptops, gaming consoles, and other portable electronics agree to meet a buyer. The buyer asks to inspect the item. The moment the item leaves the seller's hands, the buyer runs.

Some thieves stay in their car during the "inspection," then drive off. Others work in pairs, with a getaway driver waiting nearby. In the worst cases, sellers who chase the thief have been assaulted.

A Perth man was stabbed during a snatch and run in early 2024. In Melbourne, a staged handbag robbery led to arrests in Broadmeadows after police linked a 21 year old woman and a 28 year old man to the crime.

The Profile Check That Could Have Changed Everything

Adam Metwally admitted he did not properly check the buyer's profile before agreeing to meet. He was rushing to get to the airport. "I just wanted to get it sold," he said.

This is exactly what these thieves count on.

The problem is that most of us are not trained to spot the signs. We glance at a profile, see a name and a photo, and assume everything is fine. We do not know what to look for. We do not have time to dig through someone's Facebook history to figure out if they are real.

"Check the profile and then double check that they have an ID that matches," Metwally advised. "If they don't, it's not worth it."

This is why we started offering buyer verification at MarketSafe. If you are selling something valuable and a buyer's profile looks thin, send it to us. We will verify it for free.

Victoria Police Now Has 35 Safer Exchange Sites

In late 2024, Victoria Police rolled out Safer Exchange Sites at 35 24 hour police stations across the state. These are designated zones with clear signage, good lighting, and CCTV coverage. They are specifically designed for people meeting strangers to complete online sales.

The concept was trialled in Melbourne's northeast starting in mid 2022. During the six month evaluation period, thefts and robberies in the area stemming from online sales decreased. Officers observed people using the sites regularly.

"Having these sites on police property helps remove the opportunity for crime to occur at common transaction places like a purchaser's or seller's home, community parks, and carparks," Commander Tully said.

The full list of stations is available on the Victoria Police website. In Melbourne, participating stations include Dandenong, Werribee, St Kilda, and others across metropolitan and regional areas.

A thief will not meet you at a police station. If you suggest it and they make an excuse, that tells you everything you need to know.

The Bottom Line

Adam Metwally was lucky. He lost money, but he was not hurt. Others have not been so fortunate.

The snatch and run works because sellers want to be helpful. They hand over the item for inspection because that is what a normal transaction looks like. The thief is counting on that trust.

Verification is not just about checking if a buyer is a scammer online. It is about making sure you are not walking into a robbery. A real buyer will understand why you want to meet at a police station. A real buyer will not mind if you take a day to verify their profile before meeting. A thief will.