BRENHAM POLICE WARN AGAINST CRAIGSLIST TRANSACTIONS
Internet sites that provide avenues for selling and buying items are all about no-frills deals. As with any service used by millions of people, there are always a few bad apples trying to spoil the bunch.
“There have been numerous examples across the country were people have been robbed, assaulted or even killed when meeting over transactions from internet sites like Craigslist. The internet can be a dangerous way to find and buy goods. Criminals have been known to place fake ads in hopes of luring people with large amounts of cash to their location, where they can then rob them,” said Chief Rex Phelps.
“They are also using sites such as Craigslist for ‘bait and switch’ cons. People will place an ad on Craigslist wanting to sell something and the seller gets a check for more than the agreed upon price. The buyer then tells them to cash the check and send the difference to them in a money order. Unfortunately, the check turns out to be fraudulent,” he said.
Phelps emphasized that most items advertised for sale on Craigslist or other internet sites legitimate items and not a scam.
“We aren’t saying everything listed on internet sales sites are fraudulent or an attempt to set someone up. We are simply stating people need to take some precautions when they decide to make a deal through one of those sites,” he said.
Some of the safety tips Phelps mentioned include checking out the seller’s information and ask many questions. Don’t buy from sellers who only use an email address for transactions and always meet in a heavily populated public place.
“In fact, we want to invite our citizens to meet in the parking lot of the police department. Criminals don’t want witnesses and they don’t like coming to the police station. Never go to a second location – if you arrive at the predetermined meeting place and the seller wants to move to another site, don’t go. Show up early and look around. If something seems out of place, trust your instincts and leave. And never go alone.
“Ask the seller as many questions as you can about the item you are going to buy. If they can’t answer the questions consistently, they may not have the product. Also if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is,” he said.
Phelps also urged residents not to provide any financial information or personal identification numbers to anyone requesting it online.
“Agree to meet with the seller and use a form of payment that doesn’t require revealing credit information to the person. For example, Craigslist recommends that anyone using their services should try and buy locally. We just ask our citizens to be safe and take every precaution possible.”
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