Dunedin police are reminding online shoppers about the dangers of buying stolen goods after a spike in building tool thefts.
Senior Sergeant Steve Aitken said tools had been stolen from two separate work vehicles in the past few days.
A grinder, pipe wrench, Crescent wrench and torch were taken from a vehicle in Kaikorai Valley overnight on Tuesday. That followed a similar theft from a ute near the Pineapple Track on Monday night.
Snr Sgt Aitken said it appeared work vehicles were being targeted for tools.
''A lot of these [tools] are being distributed through social media sites such as Facebook and through buy, sell and trade sites.
''People need to be aware if they are buying off these sites, they can't necessarily guarantee the person selling it is the person that owns it.''
In some cases, buyers could be charged with receiving stolen goods, Snr Sgt Aitken said.
''You need to have some common sense - if you're buying a $200 item for $20, you need to ask why it is that cheap and how that person got their hands on it,'' Snr Sgt Aitken said.
''People need to especially look out for tools engraved with company names.''
Snr Sgt Aitken reminded vehicle owners to secure their equipment and keep vehicles parked off the street where that was possible.
