Baltimore City police are urging residents to use caution when picking up merchandise purchased online.
According to a news release, there have been several incidents detectives believe are related, where robbers have used websites, such as Craigslist to lure people to lightly populated residential areas and rob them.
One of the sites used in several of the robberies has been the 3500 block of Callaway Avenue.
The police urge residents to use the following safety tips:
- Conduct your transactions in a well populated area during the day - shopping malls and busy plazas with heavy foot traffic make good locations.
- Know your vendor - Ask for a name and do your homework. In the State of Maryland, criminal histories are available to the public by visiting casesearch.courts.state.md.us.
- Pay with certified or bank checks made payable to the name of the seller. This helps to make sure the seller’s name is real and also prevents you from carrying large amounts of cash.
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