In an effort to provide residents with a safe place to buy, sell or exchange online purchases in person, the West Windsor Township Police Department has created an Internet Purchase Exchange Zone.
The safe zone—located in the police department parking lot at 271 Clarksville Road, West Windsor—consists of two marked parking spaces and is monitored by video 24/7.
Lt. Robert Fow said the police department created the Internet Purchase Exchange Zone to give people a safe place to exchange cash and merchandise, which has become more popular in recent years due to Ebay, Craigslist, LetGo, Offer Up, and other online websites encouraging person-to-person transactions.
“The mere suggestion of conducting your exchange at a police department should deter any fraudulent activity, and if not, at least we have some tools to investigate it,” Fow said, adding that the zone would also be a good place for child custody exchanges.
Robbinsville Township implemented their own Internet Purchase Exchange Zone back in February.
“Meeting at a police station, it just helps. It gives you peace of mind,” Robbinsville Lt. Sandy Bainbridge said. “It’s an opportunity for the bad guy, this kind of selling, so we take the opportunity away.”
