NEWS: Melbourne thief steals Rolex Daytona in dodgy Gumtree deal

Felix Scholz

So, you’re selling your watch. Not by choice. But, you know, circumstances. Something else has caught your eye, you need to boost your home deposit, you need to post bail, anything. You’ve gone to an authorised second hand dealer, they’ve offered a price you think you can beat by selling it yourself. Hello Gumtree! What could possibly go wrong?

(Melbourne, 9th Jan 2014) A thief, posing as a potential customer has stolen a recent model Rolex Daytona from a pregnant Melbourne woman and her partner in a Gumtree deal gone very wrong. The proceeds of the sale were to assist with the costs of having the baby. Ouch.

The couple (who were asking $22,000AUD btw), did the right thing by arranging to meet the bogus buyer in a public place (in this case a café at Doncaster Shopping Centre), but the thief, upon trying on the watch, ran away with it. When pursued, he threatened the couple with a screwdriver.

We hope for the sake of the owner that the watch is recovered, and would generally advise anyone buying or selling a watch to avoid Gumtree, as it is rife with fake watches and (evidently) fake buyers. But if you are selling your watch and arrange a face-to-face meeting we would suggest:

– Meeting not only in a public place, but a secure place as well – for example the lobby of a bank (so you can deposit the cash once the sale has gone through) or meeting in front of a police station is always a healthy deterrent to would be criminals.

– As for handing over the watch to try on, it’s worth asking for a license and wallet first as security.

– Before the meet, always speak to the buyer on the phone beforehand, and trust your gut if anything feels wrong about them or their story. If meeting in person, only accept cash and never meet at your house.

For more check out the ABC story, and contact Crimestoppers on 1800 333 000 if you have any information.