A woman who sold non-existent items online has been "scammed by the scammer", according to a judge.
Tania Joy Neho, 37, appeared in the Invercargill District Court this week after pleading guilty to 13 charges of obtaining by deception.
The court heard the woman provided her bank account details to overseas third parties who used it as a "mule account".
Near the end of 2021, Neho advertised items, usually phones and laptops, for sale on Facebook Marketplace.
Buyers would pay money into her account and third parties would then take most of the profits for themselves and the defendant gained very little, the court heard.
Counsel Richard Little said Neho understood people were out of pocket as a result of her offending.
Judge Russell Walker said she had been "scammed by the scammer".
"You are the one left carrying the can," he said.
He said this kind of crime had become "all too prevalent" on Facebook Marketplace.
"Deals too good to be true are sometimes exactly that," he said.
Judge Walker sentenced the defendant to 12 months’ supervision and ordered her to pay $6330 reparation.
