The Metropolitan Police Department’s website provides a list of helpful tips on how to safely conduct online transactions: Use public and well-lit meeting spots, research the other person, share your plan with a friend, and avoid advance payments, for example.
And in January, following a social media transaction that turned violent, MPD urged residents to use caution and reminded them of the Safe Exchange Zones located at the various police district stations around town.
Turns out, the department actually should have warned the public about one of its own officers…