Facebook Marketplace horror as thug punches mum in the face, cuts her with a knife, threatens to give her Hepatitis C and steals her car – after she decided to give ‘rough looking’ stranger a chance
- A mum was bashed and cut with a knife
- Melbourne man took off with her car
A young mother has been bashed and slashed with a knife after a Facebook Marketplace deal turned into a nightmare carjacking.
Jess Kerr, 28, from Kurunjang in Melbourne’s outer-west, had advertised her Holden Commodore VE series for sale on the service.
Ms Kerr said a couple and their young son came to inspect the car in a Honda Accord on Saturday but things quickly turned sour.
She said the man ‘looked a bit rough’ when he arrived but she didn’t want to judge and decided to give him a chance.
Jess Kerr, 28, from Kurunjang, said she was attacked by a man who was taking her car for a test drive after she listed in for sale on Facebook Marketplace
The mother-of-three said the ordeal began when she and the man got into the car so he could take it for a test drive.
She said he threatened her with a pen before pulling a utility knife on her, yelling: ‘Get the f*** out of the car or I’ll stab you with this and give you Hep C.’
‘He was just coming for me with it,’ she told 7NEWS.
‘I just put my hands up, I didn’t realise until later on that he actually did get me – sliced open this finger.’
Ms Kerr said the man then unfastened her seatbelt and tried to force her out of the car.
But she refused and he sped off down the street.
Ms Kerr had feared for her life during the terrifying ordeal
Ms Kerr said the man bashed her and cut her with a knife after she refused to get out of the car
‘He started punching me in my face, he was belting me and I’m thinking, ‘Am I going to see my kids again?’ she said.
‘I didn’t know what he was going to do with me.’
Ms Kerr was able to wind down her window and scream for help before the man dumped her on the side of the road.
She then managed to borrow a resident’s phone to call for help.
She said she had feared for her life and that the couple might return because ‘they know where I live’.
Ms Kerr claimed that the thief made a fake Facebook profile to message her and that she made the common mistake of not scrutinising it.
‘I was driving at the time and didn’t think to look at their profile,’ she said.
Police are looking for Ms Kerr’s car and the man who fled with it
A Victoria Police spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia detectives were investigating an aggravated carjacking in Kurunjang on Saturday.
‘It is understood a man got into a black Holden Commodore wagon on London Court, after arranging a test drive with a woman who was selling the vehicle at about 6pm,’ they said.
‘Police were told the man stopped the car, threatened the woman, then assaulted her before she was pushed out of the vehicle on The Embankment. The man fled the scene in the car and remains on the run.’
Anyone who witnessed the incident, has CCTV/dashcam footage or other information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers.
How to protect yourself on Facebook Marketplace
Double-check deals that seem too good to be true as scammers may try to use underpriced items to lure buyers.
Do not send money for expensive items without first confirming they’re real by asking to see a receipt or view the item in a video call with the owner.
Do not conduct sales alone and arrange them at a safe, public space rather than at home.
Always verify tracking numbers on the shipping company’s website, and make sure that the delivery address and shipping information is correct.
Review the seller’s profile to learn more about them, including ratings and reviews from other buyers.
Use payment options that provide strong protections.
Enable two-factor authentication.
Source: Read Full Article
