Gloucester Township Police Offer Craigslist Safety Tips

There has been an increase in reported robberies involving Craigslist, Gloucester Township Police said Wednesday morning.

Police advise residents to take the following precautions:

1. Meet at the police station, which is open 24 hours a day. Residents are encouraged not to engage in transactions at night.
2. Never meet in a secluded area.
3. Never invite strangers to your home or go to a stranger’s house.
4. Use your instincts. If the deal is too good to be true, it probably is.
5. Always be cautious when purchasing/ selling a high priced item.

Please see additional safety tips from http://www.craigslist.org/about/safety.

Personal Safety

The overwhelming majority of craigslist users are trustworthy and well-intentioned. With billions of human interactions facilitated, the incidence of violent crime is extremely low. Nevertheless, please take the same common sense precautions online as you would offline. When meeting someone for the first time, please remember to:

• Insist on a public meeting place like a cafe.
• Do not meet in a secluded place, or invite strangers into your home.
• Be especially careful when buying/selling high value items.
• Tell a friend or family member where you’re going.
• Take your cell phone along if you have one.
• Consider having a friend accompany you.
• Trust your instincts.

Taking these simple precautions helps make craigslist safer for everyone. For more information about personal safety online, check out these resources:

• http://www.staysafeonline.org/
• http://www.onguardonline.gov/
• http://getsafeonline.org
• http://wiredsafety.org