Robbers Meet Victims Through Craigslist

ATLANTA - If you are buying or selling something online, police have warning for you. Some buyers have been robbed at gunpoint in DeKalb County during deals set up through Craigslist.

Looking for a great deal on a used iPhone or iPod? Many people are turning to Craigslist, the online site that hooks up buyers and sellers.

DeKalb police are warning buyers to beware. Since January 13, people have been robbed at gun point when they went to meet the seller.

"There have been guns that have been brandished, but no one has been seriously injured," said DeKalb County Police's Meeka Parish.

Investigators said it has happened to prospective buyers of iPhones, iPods and Playstations. DeKalb police said, in one case, the victim was lured to a subdivision off Kelly Chapel Road and then to an address at the end of a dead end street.

Investigators said, instead of an iPod, the unsuspecting buyer was confronted by someone with a gun and was robbed.

Police have some advice on how to avoid being robbed. They say to set meetings during daylight hours, meet in public places, never meet alone and be aware of your surroundings at all times.

"One of the things our detectives have found in these 13 cases is that they were meeting these individuals at night," said Parish.

Some of the buyers even met the robbers at two and three o'clock in the morning. Police say no great deal is ever worth meeting a potential seller at that in the morning.