Naperville police offer lobby for online sale transactions

NAPERVILLE, Ill. (WLS) -- It's relatively easy to find a great deal on a computer or car when purchasing from a private owner online, but in some cases those items could be in bad condition or even stolen. Now, police in Naperville are opening up the police lobby for Craigslist transactions to help weed out fake or stolen items.

The officers at the front desk or the cameras above the Naperville Police Department lobby could end up saving consumers frustration and thousands of dollars.

"If you do it at the police department," says Sgt. William Davis, "I think a thief is less likely to come in to sell stolen property to someone else."

Davis says that Naperville investigators are now officially telling people that they can use the police lobby or even an interview room to conduct an online transaction through Craigslist, eBay or other similar sites.

"We get daily reports on thefts and people getting defrauded over the internet," Davis says. "Our front desk takes several of these calls a day."

In 2014, the I-Team reported on one area woman who lost $2,600 after unknowingly buying a stolen car on Craigslist. The car was later confiscated by police. Another woman in that report found her stolen iMac for sale online.

In many cases, buyers can get information by googling serial numbers, model numbers and VIN numbers . They can also call the manufacturer to see if they keep track of stolen items.

Investigators say to stay away from ads that don't provide those numbers, and to ask sellers for their home phone number or other information from their state ID which can then be given to police if the item purchased turns out to be stolen.

Naperville police say opening their lobby up for transactions may also prevent something more serious:

"It may prevent a violent crime," Davis says, "like a robbery or something happening to the seller or buyer. When you make a purchase it is a little more protection to come to the police department and make the purchase there."

Chicago police say they have no official policy, inviting the public into lobbies for online transactions.

They do, however, say consumers should conduct all of them in a public, well lit spot.

Consumers can report suspicious activity to individual websites and they may pull those ads.