The Gwinnett Police Department has always invited members of the community to use parking lots at police facilities to engage in e-commerce transactions.

Now it’s official. At each precinct and headquarters parking lot, there are dedicated parking spots for those who wish to buy, sell, and trade goods. Each parking spot is marked with a sign and is monitored with video surveillance 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. As always, buyers and sellers should exercise best safety practices when engaging in E-Commerce transactions. Here are some tips to keep in mind:

• Don’t give out personal information.
  • Communicate with the buyer or seller through the platform where the item is listed.
  • Avoid giving out your phone number or email address.
• Meet in a public place.
  • Rather than meeting at someone’s home, plan to meet in an area that has other people around.
• Meet during the day.
  • Choose a well-lit and busy location such as a shopping center, grocery store parking lot, coffee shop, or a police department.
• Don’t go alone.
  • Take a spouse, friend, family member, or neighbor with you.
• Don’t carry large amounts of cash.
  • Rather than exchanging payment through cash, use an electronic payment instead.
• Be wary of changing meeting locations.
  • Scammers will often have a good excuse to change the meeting location. This should be a red flag. Tell the buyer or seller up front that you will not allow changes to the meeting location.
• If it’s too good to be true, it probably is.
• Scammers often lure you in with promises of a good profit or quick transaction without selling an item. Don’t be afraid to walk away from the transaction.

Find the location of Gwinnett Police headquarters and a precinct near you.