A man has suffered moderate injuries after being attacked and robbed by youths in Parklands yesterday afternoon.

The man visited a house on Elmtree Close to buy a cell phone which had been listed on Facebook Marketplace.

A resident said the man was attacked by youths when he refused to go through with the purchase.

“He was bashed and now has a very swollen, closed eye and blood on his face.”

A police spokeswoman told Chris Lynch they were alerted to the robbery on Elmtree Close at around 1:25pm.

“A man was assaulted and had money stolen from him.”

A St John Ambulance spokeswoman said one ambulance responded and treated the patient who was transported to Christchurch Hospital in a moderate condition.

Two youths have been arrested and are due to appear in Christchurch Youth Court today on aggravated robbery charges.

Last month, Christchurch Police warned the public about Facebook scams and fake profiles.

Police dealt with five cases in Christchurch, where offenders created fake Facebook profiles and advertised high-end iPhone or iPad on Facebook Marketplace at a price that was “almost too-good to be true.” Some victims were also assaulted.

• Protect yourself from online scams. Check out https://www.netsafe.org.nz/advice/scams/(link is external) or https://www.police.govt.nz/advice-services/cybercrime-and-internet and https://www.nzba.org.nz/consumer-information/smarter-banking/fraud-safety-cybersecurity/