When you’re selling or buying stuff online and the other person wants to meet up, we can’t blame you if you’re a little paranoid that they might try to rob you, kidnap you, or worse. For the most part these meetups tend to be safe although admittedly there have been instances where people have been robbed.
Choosing a public and crowded venue is usually a good place to start, but in case that wasn’t enough, doesn’t a meetup at a police station sound a lot better? As it turns out that’s what the police in the US are trying to do. Around 70 police departments across the country have recently started to set up safe havens in which people could meet up to finalize online transactions.
While this isn’t exactly a new idea, it seems that lately this is something that is starting to catch on. These venues include lobbies and parking lots, usually where there are surveillance cameras present to ensure that even if a crime were to be committed, it would be caught on tape which could be used to track the criminal and also provide evidence.
According to Derek Lee who is a Craigslist user, he believes that this also ensures that the seller/buyer acts responsibly. “It’s not just personal safety. I think people are less likely to rip each other off, like selling a bogus product or counterfeit product.” So the next time you plan on buying/selling something online and you want that peace of mind, perhaps suggesting to meet up at these safe havens is a good idea.
[Image credit – Jeremy Papasso/Boulder Daily Camera]
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