Skip to content
News
Link copied to clipboard

Conshohocken cops create "safe zone" for Craigslist transactions

If you're buying or selling goods through Craigslist or other websites, you might be a little hesitant to let a stranger into your homes, or venture to theirs.

That's why the police department in one Montgomery County town is designating its station as a "safe zone" for people to exchange items and cash for transactions arranged through online sales sites.

Conshohocken police said the department's parking lot and lobby are available for people to use to safely conduct the transactions.

The lobby is open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., and both the parking lot and lobby have 24-hour video surveillance, police said. The department said the police station's parking lot is well-lit at night.

Police say it can be unsafe to give your home address to someone you don't know, so conducting the exchange in a public place can be a safer option.

In the Philadelphia area, a number of violent crimes have been reported recently as a result of online transactions gone wrong.

In May, a Chestnut Hill man was charged with attempted murder for a shooting that occurred during a supposed sale of dirt bike that one of the victims had listed on Craigslist. Last year, a Willow Grove man was accused of using ads on the site to lure robbery victims and killing one man who went to buy an all-terrain vehicle in West Oak Lane.

And this summer, several robbery cases were reported in South Jersey in which the victims were robbed while showing up to buy goods that had been posted on Craigslist.