The Gwinnett County Police Department has opened several parking spaces at each precinct for e-commerce users to conduct transactions between buyers and sellers in a safe place.
The announcement of the new spaces came Monday, as GCPD unveiled parking spaces at every precinct, according to authorities. The parking spaces are for e-commerce transactions and are well-lit and covered by 24/7 video camera recording.
GCPD still asks the public to exercise safe practices when engaging in online to in-person transactions. They encourage the following practices:
Don’t give out personal information. Be sure to communicate where the item is listed and be cautious of scams. Avoid giving out phone numbers or email addresses.
Meet in a public place. GCPD said this is preferable to meeting at someone’s home. This is also a reason for the new parking spaces at the county precincts.
Meet during the day. GCPD said it is important to meet in well-lit areas that are public and busy, such as a shopping center, coffee shop or the police department.
Don’t go alone. GCPD encourages the public to bring a family member or friend when traveling to meet someone for an e-commerce transaction.
Don’t carry large amounts of cash. In some cases, GCPD said it is preferable to complete the transaction electronically.
Be wary of changing meeting locations. GCPD noted that scammers will often have an excuse for changing the meeting location, which should, in turn, be a red flag.
If it’s too good to be true, it probably is. GCPD reminded the public that while everyone loves a good deal, often deals that seem too good to be true are just that. Do not be afraid to walk away from a transaction.
To illustrate the utility of these parking spaces, GCPD has detailed an incident that occurred on Jan. 20 in the Snellville area.
Yosef Goulbourne, 20, arrived at a seller's house from an online advertisement. The victim was selling a cell phone and agreed to let the buyer, Goulbourne, come to her home to complete the purchase, according to authorities.
Goulbourne reportedly handed the victim an unknown amount of cash, grabbed the cell phone, and drove away from the scene “at a high rate of speed,” GCPD said Monday.
The money Goulbourne handed the victim ended up being fraudulent.
By utilizing FLOCK camera data, police were able to locate Goulbourne at his apartment complex. He was later taken into custody and charged with armed robbery, robbery and aggravated assault.
