Police pushing ‘safe exchange zones’ amid dozens of Facebook Marketplace thefts

Facebook Marketplace thefts are trending in the area, leading police to highlight spots around the city aimed at making those exchanges safer.

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So far this year, there have been 40 instances where people have lost money on Facebook Marketplace in Dayton.

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“Sometimes the deals are too good to be true,” Lt. Randy Beane, of Dayton Police, said.

Beane said the most common criminal transactions they’re seeing involve ATVs. In these cases, buyers with bad intentions will ask to take a test drive.

“The person will hand them an envelope full of money. It’s actually counterfeit money,” Beane said. “If it’s an ATV, the person will ride off on the ATV.”

As shown on News Center 7 at 5:30, Beane said electronics and gaming systems are also popular targets for theft.

News Center 7 spoke with a woman who has used Marketplace to buy a small refrigerator and a washing machine. She said she does her homework and makes sure she’s comfortable with the meeting spot location.

Police say checking profiles of buyers and sellers is a good idea.

While parks and schools may feel safe, police want people to use one of their four “safe exchange zones” for buying and selling. They’re located at four different police stations in the city.

Beane said these zones can weed out a problem buyer.

“Because if they’re not willing to meet up at the police station, there’s probably something that’ wrong with the sale,” he said.

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