Buyer beware

Wanted to share this. Please be careful in your car and parts dealing. http://abcnews.go.com/US/georgia-couple-vanished-checking-dream-car-listed-craigslist/story?id=28484457&cid=fb_abcn

What a terrible thing. What was supposed to be a happy moment for these folks turned into tragedy due this evil person. Though the chances of this happening is slim, definitely a good reminder to always be wary if something smells wrong in a deal. When a person thinks they found a highly sought after item, emotions can cloud details that might be a tipoff something is not right. I know others who have and I personally have went to buy an item armed with an armed backup.

Since craigslist is primarily cash deals, incentive is there for the ballooning number of desperate drug addicts to use it for income.

It seems one can never be completely assured of how to avoid this. It could be most valuable to hear some ideas on how to deal safely in this regard. I would want to be sure that the advertiser actually has possession of the item before going any further with the transaction. But short of a picture of the seller with the item and holding a recently dated newspaper that can be read, how else would one assure them selves of that? And what else would you all do to make sure we are not reading this about one of us in a few years?

Yea. In the subdivision behind me a couple months back, a kid (18, still in High School and actually lived elsewhere) advertised an iPhone on CL. Another 19 year old responded to the ad and his father drove him to this nice neighborhood, thinking nothing of it. The seller tried to rob them, a fight followed, the seller pulled a gun and killed the other young man. I am very wary, I meet people IN a store to talk then go to the parking lot to look at the car or part.

JohnD,

If I am going to buy something in person (which I almost never do anymore), I get the seller's full name and address. I Google him to see if he is a real person and lives at that address. I Google his email address. I check out his Facebook account to see what kind of person he is. One time I visited one of the white pages websites that lists relatives and called a man who appeared to be the seller's father and asked him, "Are you the person that has the (item) for sale?" He said, "No, that is my son ..etc." I knew I was OK. I also never go alone.

It is a different world than the one in which I grew up. We have to act accordingly.

I do something very similar. If a telephone number is provided, I'll do a reverse look up and I'll usually have the seller's name and address even before I call them. If I need to inquire by email I'll ask for a phone number and then I'll run their number and get the info I mentioned earlier. That way I'll see if everything matches up after speaking with the seller.

Good timing .... this article/video appeared late yesterday ( 1/27/15 ) on the

website of a local TV station here in Des Moines:

http://www.kcci.com/news/tips-on-staying-safe-while-buying-selling-on-craigslist/30953008

Outstanding suggestion of conducting merchandise/money exchange in the

parking lot of your local PD building within video surveillance range, and also

a couple of good tips at the end of the article in the "comments" section.

I always take my two friends with me...Smith & Wesson. :-)

Or Mr. Glock

Or Mr. Glock

Have him as a friend too...

Arrange to meet INSIDE a local bank where employees can see you, and don't tell the seller WHAT you look like, and WHAT you will be driving to get there, and also arrive 30 minutes before the meeting is to occur.

Give the cash to the bank, and ask them to hold for you, then if he shows, well, it probably will work out.

I have a friend that buys lots off Craigs list, and he always uses a bank as his deal closing office.

IMO

Dale in Indy

I started maintaining the heat in my garage last year and it makes a warm place that attracts varmints. My wife is out there this morning picking off a few. She'll get a little wound up from that and I'll say "Hey, wanna go look at a car in the inner city after lunch?"

Bernie

Not a Buick, but still... http://www.11alive.com/story/news/local/stone-mountain/2015/01/30/internet-sale-ends-in-fatal-shooting/22573371/ The meet at midnight thing set off my radar.