Is Craigslist Safe?

Everyone thought that Craigslist was going to the new way to buy, sell and even trade people's stuff.  I even thought that it was going to be a great way to do all of that stuff.  I mean you can find people in your city who may be close to you and you can contact them to go pick up something from their house.  That is about the only problem I have had with Craigslist, you have to go to some random person's house to get something that you want, and you don't know if the something you are going to get is what the description says on the website. 


There are people trying to find jobs, housing, friendship, or products and services will find Craigslist to be a very useful community.  On top of that you could also meet other people to network or talk about issues that you think are important. You have to keep in mind that Craigslist is an online community so the risk of predators or scam artist are ready to take advantage of you as soon as you get on the site.  It is important to only go to someones hose if you trust them and trust that they aren't going to try to screw you over.

According to the Craigslist about page on the website:

The overwhelming majority of craigslist users are trustworthy and well-intentioned.

 

With billions of human interactions facilitated through craigslist, the incidence of violent crime has been extremely low.

 

Nevertheless, it's very important to take the same common sense precautions online as you would offline.

 

When meeting someone for the first time, please remember to:

• Insist on a public meeting place like a cafe
• Do not meet in a secluded place, or invite strangers into your home  
• Be especially careful when buying/selling high value items
• Tell a friend or family member where you're going
• Take your cell phone along if you have one
• Consider having a friend accompany you
• Trust your instincts

Taking these simple precautions helps make craigslist safer for everyone.