CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (CBS2/FOX28) A robbery and beating over the weekend in Iowa City is rekindling concerns and warnings about using internet sites like Craigslist.
On Sunday morning the victim reported he met with a man who wanted to buy a remote controlled car on Craigslist and the buyer pulled a gun, pistol-whipped the man and took the car.
While millions of deals on Craigslist end with satisfied buyers and sellers, the recent incident reminds some of the notorious Craigslist killer in Boston and an elderly couple killed just last month in Georgia, where police say a man lured them in promising a great deal on a classic car.
Cedar Rapids Crime Prevention Officer Shannon Stokesberry says internet sales sites can be the ultimate stranger danger, complicated by large amounts of cash. She says whether its a car, jewelry or a toy, make the exchange in a very public places such as a mall or coffee shop, never meet the buyer or seller alone and dont let the cash cloud your good judgement, You never know who that other person is on the other side of the computer. Talk to the person and if you have any suspicions something is not right, then just end the conversation or end the transaction. Its not worth your safety.
At Treasures Then and Now on Mount Vernon Road, owner Darcy Vondracek says she is proud to be able to help people who are leery of making their own deals on Craigslist. They bring items to her consignment shop, from beautiful lamps and collectables to classic clocks and tables and a 1936 Magic Chef oven that just came in the door.
Darcy then takes high quality pictures of the items and puts them on Craigslist, My whole thought is you really dont want anyone coming to your home. I dont blame anybody for that, so people are bringing things here because this is a public place. Im taking on two to three additional people each week and Ive sold things to people all over the state of Iowa since I started this.
Some of our viewers who deal regularly on Craigslist also offered these tips: Never give out your home address, try to avoid having buyers come to your home, but if the items are too large to move, at least have them in your open garage and have relatives or neighbors with you, one woman tells us if her husband cant be there, she has him on the phone during the transaction in case anything would happen and yet another says she has three very large dogs who are right by her side if its every necessary to have a buyer come to her house.
Officer Stokesberry says sites like Craigslist are here to stay, but its important to use them safely and remember the number one rule of buying anything, If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.