GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga -- Bud and June Runion of Marietta, are not the first people to fall victim to someone they agreed to meet on a buying and selling network site. The couple's bodies were found Monday in Telfair County and the man they agreed to meet about buying an antique car is charged with their murders.
Police say sites like Craigslist allow criminals to "victim-shop" on the internet. They say what makes it so dangerous is you have to meet the buyer or seller in person. "They can determine the time and place that they will commit the crime, the victim that they're going to target and what property and amount of money they're going to get," said Gwinnett County Police Corporal Jake Smith.
Last September, Danny Zeitz, 28, from Sandy Springs, fought back when a suspect he agreed to meet to sell his PlayStation, tried to grab it and run. Zeitz was shot and killed. The transaction and murder happened in Zeitz's apartment complex parking lot.
Police say murder is rare, but armed robbery and theft during Craigslist transactions are not. "It's a great thing for these suspects to essentially have fish in a barrel that they can choose from as far as victims," Cpl. Smith said.
There are many examples that police can give. Most of the time the crimes happen over transactions for popular items. "Almost always electronics," Smith said. "It's not always that but it's almost always electronics, the newest phone, the newest iPad, the newest computer."
Police say it is best to meet in public places, preferably where surveillance cameras can capture a potential crime. In December, 2012 police were able to identify a suspect because Gwinnett Place Mall security cameras captured the license plate of the suspect's car. He just stole two pairs of expensive sneakers.
Police say no place is 100 percent safe, but the safest place to make a deal is a police station parking lot.
They also warn Craigslist shoppers to always be aware of any last minute change in venue. "If you've agreed to meet in a shopping mall parking lot and they call last second and say, 'can we do it here instead,' that should be an immediate red flag," Smith said.
Smith said if a potential buyer or seller hesitates when you give them a location to meet, call it off.
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