Police are warning people to use caution when purchasing or selling items on online classified sites like Kijiji and Craigslist.
“People have to make sure that they know who they are dealing with. They should always have checks and balances in place,” said Const. Julie Tilbury, spokeswoman for the Thunder Bay Police Service.
Ancaster, Ont. resident Tim Bosma’s remains were discovered by police earlier this week; the 32-year-old had disappeared after leaving on a test drive for a truck he was selling through an online classified site.
Tilbury said it’s this type of incident that should be reminding everyone they never know who they are communicating with concerning online sales.
“Usually by the time someone keys in that there’s something not quite right, they are in a very vulnerable position,” she said, adding police usually deal with these situations reactively and not much can be done.
The websites are used on a buyer-beware principle.
“You are totally responsible for your transaction. It is unfortunate that most likely you will be out the money or the product,” said Tilbury. “Mostly it’s because people are trying to get a deal that’s too good to be true.”
Thunder Bay Police get daily reports of people being defrauded online or having suspicions about ads posted, but there isn’t much the police can do.
“The tracking mechanisms we have to use to find out where the source and where this information is coming from is a lot of work. It’s very time consuming,” Tilbury said.
There are precautions people can take.
Tilbury said when going to meet someone for a transaction, bring a friend and let someone else know where you are going.
And if accepting a cheque, also check the person’s identification.
Beth Andros checks Kijiji on a daily basis and has sold and bought items like clothing, furniture, DVDs and even two vehicles.
“I am pretty much on it all the time. Throughout the year I have something posted on it,” said the Thunder Bay native.
And she only accepts cash.
When selling her boyfriend’s truck, she had a friend come over when the buyer came to test drive it so she wouldn’t be alone.
And after hearing of the tragic death of Bosma, she brought a friend to look at doors she was hoping to purchase for her house the other day.
“I had my cell phone with me. I told people where I was going to be,” she said.
“It got me a little worried … How can you make sure you’re secure? You can’t really 100 per cent.”
Andros is also cautious with her personal information.
“I ask to meet in a mutual location or agree to go their place. I don’t like them knowing where I live,” she said, adding she often just gives her email address for contact information.
