If you're going to buy and sell on Craigslist, be sure to use common sense. That was the message Tuesday from Charlotte police in the wake of three people getting robbed trying to buy phones off Craigslist.
All of the cases involved Craigslist users trying to sell smartphones. They set a time and place to meet and when the buyer arrived, each time, they were attacked and robbed.
Police have arrested three people ages 16 to 21. All three incidents took place within the last two weeks.
CMPD Captain Cecil Brisbon wanted to remind people: "Just use common sense. If it doesn’t sound right, the price doesn't sound right, if something doesn’t feel right, it probably isn’t," Brisbon says. "I would go so far as to say if you want to make that transaction in a police department parking lot, then that's a public place. I'd say you'd probably better off doing it at a location like that."
Brisbon says he's seen a few more of these types of crime over the last few years as more people start to use Craigslist.
One of the best things to do is to bring someone with you and let the buyer or seller know you're doing that. However, that's not always a guarantee of safety. One of the victims did just that.