Seller beware: N.B. woman tells cautionary tale of online sale gone wrong

FREDERICTON -

A young woman in New Brunswick is telling a cautionary tale about selling items online.

Emily Brannon says she had a disturbing interaction with an unknown man while trying to sell some clothing in a popular online marketplace.

Brannon was cleaning out her closet and put her prom dress up for sale on Kijiji.

A man responded to the ad on Friday, saying he was looking to buy the dress for his daughter. But then, the call took a turn.

“I knew immediately, once his tone changed, that I screwed up and shouldn’t have given him my address,” recalls Brannon. “I panicked, and didn’t know what to do. I just instinctually called 911. It was really scary.”

Brannon says the buyer on the phone threatened harm to everyone at her address.

After calling 911, she shared her unsettling experience online.

“We always tell people, first of all, if they have a contact number that’s one thing, but not to give out the address, and don’t send any money to anybody that you don’t know who they are. And if you’re buying or selling, to always meet in a public place,” says Sgt. Andre Pepin of the N.B. RCMP.

Police also say it’s best to have another person with you, rather than meeting a potential buyer alone.

After sharing her story, Brannon says she received an outpouring of support, and discovered that these kind of incidents are far more common than you might think.

“A lot of my friends, have friends of friends, that it’s happened to as well,” says Brannon. “It’s sad that it happens to other people, but it’s good to know that those people are still safe, even though they got that call too.”

Brannon says police have been following up with regularly since the incident.

She says this was her first time posting an ad to sell an item online, and after her experience, will likely be her last.