The online world has a funny way of making individuals throw all caution to the wind. One need only examine how individuals let loose when they are in blogosphere or in social media to get an idea of what yours truly is alluding to here. Online, and perhaps under a pseudonym, individuals will have no qualms about letting out details of their life that are in many respects private. Potentially this could let in individuals into your life, individuals that might not have your best interests at heart.
The same trusting attitude that is displayed in social media is carried to the world of Craigslist. For some reason we all have an inner need to badly trust individuals and consequently cases abound where individuals constantly fall for the ruse of con artists on these online classifieds. Cases abound where people have lost thousands of dollars simply on the strength of an advertisement placed online. This is wrong, good business sense ought to prevail when online, and good business sense is what this article will attempt to impart to the reader. Craigslist have their own tips on avoiding scams and fraud on tampa.craigslist.org
Personal Safety Tips On Craigslist Tampa Bay
- Logic 101 dictates that before entering into any proposition you do well to foremost establish some degree of contact that sets the tempo – online chat , or a phone call is normally the first step in setting base;
- The second step involves carrying out a background check of the individual that you are about to do business with; run their names through a government database, have a private eye check them out, conduct a search on their online presence, et al;
- Thirdly if it is a matter that will require a legal intervention then you will be required to consult a lawyer, similarly if it is a matter that requires a go between , always fall back on the professionals – dating agencies, accountants, et al;
- Lastly ensure that if you have to meet anyone in person, ensure that the venue of your meeting is determined by you, that ideally it should be in a public place, the meeting (at least the first one) should be during daylight hours, and lastly if you feel uncomfortable you can ask an individual that you trust to accompany you along for that first meeting.
Remember that even though Craigslist can boast of being the biggest online classified portal in the world, the founders of this portal did not envisage good business sense being thrown out of the window. The online portal might have made doing business and meeting people easy but that does not mean that you lower your guard with regard to matters personal safety, nay. It is also important to note that the online classified requires that all persons who do business on this online classified verify the identity of individuals that they are doing business with; this is not a role of Craigslist.
Conclusion
The online world has changed the manner that we transact with each other. Gone are political and financial borders that in many ways acted as an impediment. With freedom, however, comes some degree of responsibility, exercise your power of discretion, be smart.
