Chris Staab, chair of East District’s Community Resource District Council, remembered a family he met during a police ride along in November 2017. They found a truck for sale online, and the entire family went to an unfamiliar neighborhood to purchase it. When the family reached their destination, the seller, along with two accomplices, pointed guns at the mother, father and children and stole their money and phones. Between their lack of phones and language barrier, it took a while for the family to call the police. When the police finally arrived at the crime scene, all they found was an abandoned house. Staab remembered how distraught the family was because what was supposed to be a good deal put their lives in jeopardy.
“It was a sad situation where someone was taken advantage of,” Staab said.
Staab said the crime was not an isolated incident but part of a trend of e-commerce robberies, where criminals post deals on online services such as CraigsList and Swapit to lure victims into isolated areas. In 2018, Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD) recorded 194 incidents of e-commerce robbery. Earlier data is unavailable since IMPD did not track e-commerce robberies as separate crimes until 2018. In order to combat these robberies, both police and individual citizens took strides to make e-commerce safer.
As a response to e-commerce robberies, IMPD opened district headquarters for use as Safe Trading Zones in June 2018 in partnership with Community Resource District Councils. The zones allow people to buy and sell goods at the headquarters, either inside the lobbies or outside the buildings. Traders do not have to call in advance, but IMPD Deputy Chief Chris Bailey requested they inform whoever is working in the lobby. The district headquarters have cameras and police officers to deter robbery attempts. Safe Trading Zones led to a slight decrease in e-commerce robberies. Sixty-five incidents were reported between Jan. 1 and May 7, 2019, compared to 69 within the same time period last year.
“People are taking advantage of using these Safe Trading Zones,” Staab said. “… [The number] has gone down even though e-commerce trading is actually on the increase.”
Bailey said IMPD Safe Trading Zones are the safest and most recommended option, but well-lit public places you are familiar with could work. He also said never agree to meet at a stranger’s home. Assume the worst if someone does not want to meet in either a Safe Trading Zone or a well-lit public place or changes the agreed upon location.
“If it sounds too good to be true, it usually is,” Bailey said. “If someone is trying to sell you the latest gadget for a price that seems impossible, then it probably is a trap.”
Those who do not want to drive to a police station can consider the app DeliverEnd, which local entrepreneur Nick Turner created after an e-commerce robber stole a friend’s iPhone at gunpoint. Before a transaction, DeliverEnd allows the buyer and seller to video chat, call, text and send images to each other to confirm the seller has the item and that it’s in good condition. The buyer will then pay electronically and a DeliverEnd driver will pick up the item from the seller and deliver it. Delivery charges will depend on the object’s size and what kind of vehicle is needed to transport it. If anything goes wrong, the app has an SOS button that the buyer, seller or driver can use to alert the police and send them the phone’s location. DeliverEnd, which launches May 26, will be available within the Indianapolis area and will deliver a maximum of 250 miles outside the city.
“We are the last line of defense,” Turner said.
Not only does DeliverEnd remove the need to meet the other party, but it also works as a deterrent. Turner tested an early version of DeliverEnd while buying furniture online. A seller only had one picture of the set, so Turner requested more pictures only to receive a zoomed in screenshot of the original. Turner then called the seller who pretended his phone was running out of battery and hung up. Because the seller failed the screening, Turner believes he avoided an e-commerce robber.
“We’re making sure [e-commerce robbery] never happens again,” Turner said. “People can buy and sell online without being worried about losing their lives over a cell phone.”
Contact staff writer Ben Lashar at 317-762-7848. Follow him on Twitter @BenjaminLashar.
The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD) North District headquarters is one of six IMPD district headquarters that act as a Safe Trading Zone. After arranging to buy or sell goods online, the parties meet at the headquarters to be safe. While people do not need to call in advance, either the buyer or the seller should inform staff in the lobby about the pending transaction. (Photo/Ben Lashar)
