Montreal man trying to re-sell laptop online pepper sprayed and robbed

A Montreal man says he was pepper sprayed and robbed while trying to sell a laptop he listed online. He says he is now sharing his story to warn others of the potential dangers of online re-selling.

"I was scared. This happened like suddenly, like in one minute. And I never heard of this kind of stuff before," Weiyang Sun said in an interview.

Sun explained that in late March, he met a potential buyer in Laval and was subsequently pepper sprayed, and his laptop was stolen.

He said a passerby called 911. Sun also filed a report with Laval police.

According to Sun, two people were involved in the robbery.

Stephane Wall, a former supervisor with the Montreal police service, says buyers and sellers doing business online should make a habit of meeting at safe trading zones.

"Maybe there's three, four or five guys, that are going to beat the customer or show him a gun or a knife," Wall said.

Laval has one safe trading zone in the parking lot of its police headquarters, while Montreal police have 14 across the city.

"When you have to make a transaction, go there with a friend, in a place where there's a lot of witness, never give the money or maybe information about your credit card or something like that," Wall noted.

Sun said he ended up finding his laptop in a shop but had to pay to get it back.

"It's a lot of money," Sun said.

He said that the next time he sells something online, he will meet the buyer in a public space.