Va. woman robbed after arranging Craigslist meeting to sell ring

DUMFRIES, Va. - Prince William County police say a 30-year-old woman was threatened with a gun by a man she met on Craigslist.

He was supposed to buy her ring, but instead, he stole it and took off.

Dumfries resident Valerie Perez said the incident will make her think twice about using Craigslist.

"Yes, but I think if I were to meet anyone, I would probably take someone with me," she said.

"I would first talk to them," said Ebru Bocacioglu. "I don't give away our address. I would first talk to the person on the phone."

Police say that is a start.

The woman in this case was alone Tuesday night when she was robbed.

"What she did right was she contacted us immediately," said Prince William County Police Department spokesperson Jonathan Perok. "This incident happened right before 9 p.m. so it was dark out. Even though it was in a shopping center, it's best to do these types of transactions during the day in a crowded area."

Area law enforcement including Stafford, Spotsylvania and Fredericksburg police now have safe havens for online Craigslist buyers and sellers.

Prince William County police could be next.

"We have two police stations here in the county," Perok told us. "They are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. The parking lots are open as well so these transactions can be done in the parking lots."

Police say there is no guarantee that a crime won't occur in a police parking lot, but the hope is that the police department will deter crime.

There are no Craigslist safe havens at police departments in Washington D.C.

A police K-9 was used to search for the suspect in Tuesday's robbery.