BATON ROUGE, La (BRPROUD) ––– When searching for a deal, many turn to buying second-hand items from an online marketplace, but meeting strangers from the internet may give you buyers remorse. 

The Facebook Marketplace is one of those popular options. Recently, a Louisiana man was murdered when he met a man from The Facebook Marketplace at an apartment complex to sell his dirt bike. 

“In any transaction, err on the side of caution,” says Sgt. L’Jean McKneely from the Baton Rouge Police Department (BRPD). He warns that people have been robbed or shot in these online marketplace transactions. “One party is there just to commit a crime they’re there to rob you and take what you have,” he says.

McKneely says you never know if someone has ill intent, so “no matter how comfortable you feel, be sure to put yourself in a place to where you do the best that you can to prevent yourself from becoming a victim.”  

To make these transactions safer, BRPD and other police stations set up Safe Transaction Zones. These zones are outside of the stations in well-lit and visible areas. “It’s an overall safe place to be because law enforcement is here,” Mckneely says. Security cameras often monitor the zones, and police are always going in and out of the station. 

If for some reason, you are not able to make the transaction at one of the Safe Transaction Zones, there are other options, but Mckneely warns not to do it at night. He says the best place is anywhere public, with a lot of people around.

For information on where to find a Safe Transaction Zone, visit the website of your nearest law enforcement office.