CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- If you use Craigslist to buy and sell things, Charlotte Police want you to make it safer to meet strangers by conducting your business in their parking lots.
The offer comes after three people who used the website were robbed in the last month.
"The first thing you have to think about is is it too good to be true?" said CMPD Officer Craig Allen. "Am I setting myself up to become a victim if I'm going to somebody's house? And the answer is yes," said Officer Allen.
One of the victims, who did not want to be identified, says he found that out the hard way when he reluctantly agreed to go to a home to buy an iPhone for $300, which he found over Craigslist.
"They said they can't travel because they don't have vehicle, so I had to go to their place, and I went to their place and it was a dead end," said the victim.
Officer Allen says that's the first red flag.
"If someone wants to sell something bad enough, they'll find a way to go meet you if it's a legitimate thing," said Officer Allen.
Once the victim got to the home, he says there was a setup in place with several other guys there.
"Suddenly the boys who were playing basketball, they attacked from one side and the other boys from the other side, and they started hitting me," said the victim.
That victim had minor injuries after finally throwing the money at them and the suspects took off, but another of the three recent victims suffered broken bones and had to go to the hospital. Police are pleading with people to use public space for meeting up.
"We're going as far as saying go to a police station parking lot, if it's a legitimate transaction that person doing the selling will meet you there," said Officer Allen.
Local police station locations are as follows:
- Central Division- 119 E. 7th Street
- Eastway Division- 3505 Central Avenue
- Freedom Division- 4150 Wilkinson Blvd.
- Hickory Grove Division- 5727-A North Sharon Amity Road
- Independence Division- 9315-G Monroe Road
- Metro Division- 1118 Beatties Ford Road
- North Division- 10430-R Harris Oaks Blvd.
- North Tryon Division- 4045 N. Tryon Street
- Providence Division- 715 N. Wendover Road
- South Division- 8050 Corporate Center Drive
- Steele Creek Division- 2227 Westinghouse Blvd.
- University City Division- 8401 University Executive Park Drive
- Westover Division- 1540 West Blvd.
