Is Craigslist Safe? Oakland Police Urging Caution

Oakland police are urging Craigslist users trying to buy or sell merchandise to use caution after a string of armed robberies originating on the popular website.

Police said that robbers would either create a Craigslist posting advertising the sale of merchandise or respond to users selling merchandise and rob the victim when they arrived to complete the transaction.

Police are advising that people using Craigslist to buy or sell products to use caution conducting business with people they don't know, or when visiting unfamiliar areas.

The reports mirror incidents reported in cities like San Francisco, which begs the question: Is Craigslist safe? Can you ever be certain you're not going to be robbed if you try to buy or sell something on the site? Take our Patch poll and tell us if you feel Craigslist is worth the risk in the comments.

--- Bay City News Service contributed to this article.