The hustle and bustle of the season may start to be winding down, but it hasn’t come to a stop quite yet. Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace, among various other online market sites, may not be your first choice for Christmas gift shopping. Still, it could be a spot to pick up Christmas decorations, or handcrafted items for the season. Maybe you are not using it for Christmas shopping but getting some gently used snow boots or what have you.  

Nevertheless, this is a popular way to exchange items nowadays. It’s convenient, but it can be full of scams too. There are so many stories in the media about people being victimized after setting up sales through websites. Items being sold could be fake or broken, money could be counterfeit, or one party could have no intention of exchanging money at all and attempt to flat out steal the item. The scams extend into rental properties, jobs, tickets, and real estate too.  

Facebook Marketplace

There are so many safety tips we could share, but today we’ve got 1!

Think about the exchange location. Pick a “Safe Place” for transactions. Pick a well lit public site to meet at and exchange any items.

Westfield Police Department has recently posted on the NextDoor App that their Public Safety Building is available for exchanges like these. Had you ever thought about meeting at a Police Station for an exchange like this?

Places to exchange:

Westfield Public Safety Building is open Monday-Friday 7:30am-4:00pm, and the foyer is open 24/7 for use.

Noblesville City Hall Building is open Monday-Friday 8:00am-4:30pm. 

Think about other public building:

• Library
• Fire Stations
• Visitor Centers
• Inside fast food restaurants

Be smart about these transactions and trust your instinct; if something isn’t feeling right, then don’t do it.