Buying or Selling on Craigslist? D.C. Police Have Set Up 'Exchange Zones' For You

Looking to buy and sell on Craigslist, but worried about getting robbed during the meetup? D.C police are inviting you to make your transaction under their watchful eye.

The Metropolitan Police Department announced in a statement today that the Chief Cathy Lanier has decided to designate three "exchange zones" -- areas that "serve as a safe place for residents and visitors to exchange and complete transactions of online purchases," according to the statement.

Craigslist and other similar person-to-person exchange sites are great if you're looking to buy a cheap George Foreman grill or want to sell an old laptop you don't use anymore for a quick $100, but these transactions can be risky -- you're meeting up with someone you don't know, and usually you have cash or valuables on hand, making it a potentially dangerous situation.

That's why the District is following suit with police departments around the country and designating exchange zones -- they've been getting reports of this kind of criminal activity as well and want to tackle the problem.

"Several individuals in the District have been targeted after using mobile marketplace applications to buy or sell items," the statement reads. "Suspects have used these online platforms to lure victims to meet them at locations to purchase or sell an item and when the victim arrives, a pre-staged robbery occurs."

The exchange zone hopefully will deter a lot of these robberies by providing a well-lit area near a police station that is also monitored, "giving Washingtonians a safe place to purchase or exchange property," Lanier said in the statement.

"The community can do their part by safely buying, selling and trading online goods at our designated locations," she added.

The first location is at 550 Water Street SW at Special Operations Division's Harbor Patrol; the second location is at 1620 V Street NW in the Third District; and the third location is at 5002 Hayes Street NE in the Sixth District.

There's more you can do to protect yourself. Police advise you to never meet with anyone alone, never list personal contact information like your home address or phone number and never meet at night.