Do you take precautions using Craigslist?

[inquisitive]

IE, always meeting in a public place or bringing a friend along?

I know I haven't. I guess I just don't let the few horror stories scare me. The only time I was semi-nervous and thought about backing out was when I hired a guy to come fix something in my house. I had asked for references, but b/c I was in such a rush, I never waited on them and just told him to come on by. He looked legit, and I had my two beastly dogs out, so I felt ok by the time he arrived. There was also a time when I was going to bring a friend along when I was looking to buy something from a guy, but I ended up finding a better deal elsewhere. Anyway, reading stories like this, show me how lucky most craigs list users(including myself) are!

An East Bay man was shot and robbed in East Palo Alto Tuesday evening when he showed up to buy a vehicle advertised on Craigslist, according to the police department.

Officers responded to a local emergency room at about 6:50 p.m. where Alex Garcia, 22, was being treated for a gunshot wound, according to the East Palo Alto Police Department.

Garcia told police he went to the 1700 block of East Bayshore Road after arranging to purchase a vehicle through the website Craigslist. He contacted the supposed seller in a parking lot and then was told to go to another one at 1830 W. Bayshore Road.

Police reported that while Garcia was checking out the vehicle "for sale," three men with handguns confronted him and demanded the $1,300 cash he had brought for the vehicle he thought he was going to buy.

A fight ensued, during which Garcia was pistol-whipped several times and wounded when a gunshot grazed his head, according to police.

Garcia told police he managed to get back to his vehicle and transport himself to an emergency room where he was treated for injuries that were not life threatening.

On its website, Craigslist advises people responding to an ad to meet the other party in a public place, and consider taking a friend along

 

[KittenKoder]

Okay ... only one thing to say ... duh. With all purchasing you have to be careful. People have just become too complacent, and that makes them easy targets for cons and other thieves. Craigs List just got a bad rap because of their size.

For example: There was a con artist calling around our area recently, targeting the elderly by claiming to be Social Security Adminstration and the needed to update their bank records *eye roll* they cleaned out a few hundred accounts before they got caught .... really, have we become that stupid?