Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Craigslist Robbery

Lifesuxsbad

Lifesuxsbad

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jun 15, 2010
228
34
I buy things off of Craigslist all the time...in fact I bought a iPhone 4 about a week or so ago...well was on craigslist today and freaked out when I read this ad!! Makes me feel lucky my transaction went flawless. I have sold a couple things on there in the past months as well as bought some things. Just be careful when you use craigslist!! Whoever this person was should of never went to someone's house!! I always meet in the daylight as well as a public place!!


http://shreveport.craigslist.org/mob/1975039789.html
 
No idea why anyone would need to go to a residence to buy a cell phone. There's this thing called the mail...

Or ebay, like a normal person.
 
eye said:
No idea why anyone would need to go to a residence to buy a cell phone. There's this thing called the mail...

Or ebay, like a normal person.
Click to expand...

How can you possibly suggest that it was the buyer's fault? Yes, you shouldn't trust people, but doing a craigslist deal doesn't mean people are permitted to rob you. It would be the same as if this happened on a city street.

As for the "mail" comment, you are more likely to get scammed on craigslist if you don't deal in person, and in cash. I try to meet in public places, like starbucks for most of my exchanges.
 
Techhie said:
How can you possibly suggest that it was the buyer's fault? Yes, you shouldn't trust people, but doing a craigslist deal doesn't mean people are permitted to rob you. It would be the same as if this happened on a city street.

As for the "mail" comment, you are more likely to get scammed on craigslist if you don't deal in person, and in cash. I try to meet in public places, like starbucks for most of my exchanges.
Click to expand...

He should've met up with the people in a public place, e.g. inside a mall.
 
my friend was robbed of his 2 iPhones he was selling on craigslist....he was in a grocery store parking lot before 8 pm


I tell people to meet me inside the malls food court when doing transactions on Craigslist
 
iMrNiceGuy0023 said:
I tell people to meet me inside the malls food court when doing transactions on Craigslist
Click to expand...

Sometimes being in a public place isn't good enough. Last September I met up with two teenagers who wanted to buy my DSLR. After about 20 minutes "checking it out," they ran off. I chased them for about 4 blocks, but it was pitch black and they hid. Filed a police report, etc...nothing happened. One of them was stupid enough to give me his real phone number, which I was able to use to find his myspace, and other craigslist ads for obviously stolen items (think Rolex and plasma TVs.) None of that mattered to the police, and nothing has happened a year later. I even have pictures that he took of himself in the mirror using MY camera :eek:

The moral of the story: use your gut to feel out situations before you get into them. Be informed, bring people with you, meet in ENCLOSED public locations with verified security, and when available, take note of license plate #s. I know it seems excessive, but being smart has made me problem-free for a year.
 
I hope he also filed a police report and not just a post on craigslist. He had lots of info to give them obviously. It's like he's asking some crazy citizen to go in and take care of this thief instead of just warning people.
 
Techhie said:
There's been a few instances where I've had to travel to a residence to get a great deal. That does NOT make him responsible for what happened. Walking down a city street doesn't entitle robbery.
Click to expand...

Not at all his fault, I agree with you 100%.

However, you can avoid risky surroundings when you're purchasing and selling items through Craigslist by meeting in a public place, not a house/apartment.
 
Police

Yep I hope they called the police also. You would think they would of but he didn't give any details about it if he did.
 
Inside a Starbucks or a police station are good places to meet. Never someone's house or mall.
 
There's some seriously pretentious people out there who think this is the buyer's fault.
 
I sold my unibody macbook on craigslist this past friday. I had to take my kids downtown to church, so i had the guy meet me there. The parking lot is covered with security and I went ahead and met the guy in the parking lot with security within 20 feet of me on each side. Its always best to do a craigslist transaction in public and with plenty of witnesses. not to mention somewhere that you know for fact has CCTV(which this church did, i put it in awhile back and wouldve had access to the DVR should something have happened) Honestly Craigslist is getting pretty scary,youve got to worry about getting robbed, getting counterfeit money, and many other things! I guess as long as you take the right precautions it definitely beats Ebay!
 
This is pretty much why I only buy new and generally only sell my stuff to people I know. Too bad the world is the way it is. :(
 
Techhie said:
Sometimes being in a public place isn't good enough. Last September I met up with two teenagers who wanted to buy my DSLR. After about 20 minutes "checking it out," they ran off. I chased them for about 4 blocks, but it was pitch black and they hid.
Click to expand...

If you don't mind, what public place did you meet at? I'd like to know just to know more to avoid such a potential situation as I do a few CL transactions here and there. I'm sorry that it happened that way. =(
 
Dang, now I'm a little scared. I'm posting my phone up on craigslist soon. I tried to email my local police department to see if I can meet potential buyers in their lobby or something, but they haven't gotten back to me. I must just do it anyways?

It makes sense to let us go to police stations to do the exchanges as we are preventing crime from happening. But I can see the argument that the police station is not designed for goods exchange and that they might interfere with the daily workings of a police station. If too many people are using it, then it could become a safety issue for them. So I don't know, any thoughts?
 
solius said:
This is why I always carry my pistol to these things :). Legally of course.
Click to expand...
I'm all about citizen's right to conceal and carry, but if the other guy pulls a gun first, you can bet you're going to get shot no matter what if you try and get yours out after. When 2 people are face to face with weapons, and one is intending on committing a crime, I don't see how that can be a good situation.
 
I buy and sell off CL all the time. Rule #1 is no meeting at a private residence. If that's required, walk away. Not worth the risks. Even for small items like books, if I choose to sell them, I'm making a 2 minute drive to meet at Borders, StarBucks, etc. I actually like the local Grocery as they have a bank right next to the coffee area and I know there are cameras that cover that spot. Yes I asked.

I've never been scammed or remotely bothered. I have had several folks not want to meet there for one reason or another. I simply tell them that's okay but thank you for the interest. I actually won't use eBay unless the buyer or seller is local. IMO, it's not worth the chance, even if it's small.

I also always use my google voice # when I give out my cell. Nothing is fool-proof, but it helps with my peace of mind.
 
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_0_1 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/532.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0.5 Mobile/8A306 Safari/6531.22.7)

I wouldn't say it was 100% the buyer's fault, but this does remind me of the "gut check" I was taught about in my CCW class.

Say you're about to walk through an area and you see two guys hiding behind a dumpster in what your gut tells you is an ambush position. Do you have the right to proceed anyway? Sure, but you may end up "dead right" for ignoring your gut feeling.

Public place (like the good 'ole Starbucks) and if possible bring a friend (get him a $7 coffee and sit him by the door) to stop a runner.

As for CCW, it isn't about stopping a runner or trying to pull a "John Wayne". Leave that for the movies. A CCW is only for the worst possible scenario and if you've followed your gut up to this point, you're not likely to experience that today.

Remember, if your gut tells you something is wrong, "Eject! Eject! Eject!"
 
nwbusa said:
So you can do what if they run off with your whatever?
Click to expand...

You shoot to kill, which is well within your rights in Texas.

On the left coast, you just let them take your property or face jail and/or a lawsuit for violating the theif's rights.:rolleyes:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back