RSS
Home
Is Craigslist safe?
Print
Email
RSS
Subscribe
.jpg)
Craigslist.com is the web's #1 classified website
With the recent vicious crime on Craigslist splattered all over the news, one must question the benefits as well as the negatives of using this site. Created in 1995 as a way to update San Fransisco locals about the happenings in the area, it has since grown into a worldwide listing source of jobs, apartments and more.
Of course with every great new site, comes abuse of it. While the website has seen growth in reputable listings, the amount of sex-based ads as well as the crime resulting in placing ads has grown increasingly over the years.
While some are arguing that Craigslist is now the most unsafe site on the web, one could argue that the crime on Craigslist is no more prevalent than that of the internet as a whole. The company’s CEO Jim Buckmaster said that the incidence of violent crime on Craigslist is “very low, given that 50 million Americans are using the site every month to meet people face to face.”
The question many people are asking due to the recent Philip Markoff case is, why allow sex listings at all? The answer according to Mr. Buckmaster?
“Back in 2005 our users saw these kinds of ads being posted across the site. They asked us to set up a dedicated category where these ads could live and be put behind a warning screen. So we ended up doing what telephone yellow pages and newspaper classifieds have typically done over the decades and that is to have a dedicated category for these types of ads. One of the differences with Craigslist is that 100 percent of the net revenues goes to charity.”
What good is money going to charity if it comes from adult ads? Especially if it increases the chance of crime? Craigslist has been a savior to many looking for so much more than the perverse listings that exist in a small portion of the site but now more than ever one must use the site intelligently.
Consider keeping mind these safety tips when buying something off Craigslist:
• Insist on a public meeting place like Starbucks. Do not give them your address. Similarly, do not go to someone's house to buy or sell an item.
• Inform a family or friend of where you are going
• Take a cell phone along
• Consider having a friend come with
• Trust your instincts - if you feel unsafe or uncomfortable for any reason, leave immediately. Remember your safety cannot be replaced by any amount of money
• Keep information such as your home address out of your craigslist advertisement. Ask people to contact you via telephone or email.
Craigslist has been used to execute several transactions over the years and just like any other site, one must take precaution. With the recent crime on Craigslist, one must simply remember the risks engaging in an open marketplace such as this and be above anything - smart.
Related Articles:
Add a Comment
.jpg)
