How Can You Transact Safely in Person with a Stranger from the Internet?

Attention, people giving money to strangers from the Internet. The Krebs on Security blog knows a way to make it safer. "Nearly all U.S. states now have designated safe trading stations - mostly at local police departments - which ensure that all transactions are handled in plain view of both the authorities and security cameras."These safe trading places exist is because sometimes in-person transactions from the Internet don't end well for one or more parties involved. The website Craigslistkillers has catalogued news links for at least 132 murders linked to Craigslist transactions since 2015. Many of these killings involved high-priced items like automobiles and consumer electronics, where the prospective buyer apparently intended all along to kill the owner and steal the item offered for sale. Others were motivated simply by a desire to hurt people. This is not to say that using Craigslist is uniquely risky or dangerous; I'm sure the vast majority of transactions generated by the site end amicably and without physical violence. And that probably holds true for all of Craigslist's competitors. Still, the risk of a deal going badly when one meets total strangers from the Internet is not zero, and so it's only sensible to take a few simple precautions. For example, choosing to transact at a designated safe place such as a police station dramatically reduces the likelihood that anyone wishing you harm would even show up. Krebs points out there's a list maintained at SafeTradeStations.com, adding that "many police departments (but not all) are willing to check the serial number of an item for sale to make sure it's not known to be stolen property." The site also advises meeting in well-lit and public places, during daylight hours - and bringing a friend.

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