ORLANDO, Fla. – A Facebook Marketplace sale turned violent on Feb. 17 after three people tried to run off with a PlayStation 5, according to the Winter Springs Police Department.
When they met up with the seller, they decided not to pay the victim and instead tried to flee with the PS5, police added.
“The victim, in an effort to retrieve his PS5, reached into the vehicle as the trio sped off,” the release reads. “The suspects then pepper-sprayed the victim and dragged him several hundred feet before he fell from the car, suffering minor injuries.”
Several law enforcement agencies throughout Central Florida have set up exchange zones in their parking lots to offer safe places to conduct online sales transactions.
News 6 compiled a county-by-county list of those locations:
BREVARD COUNTY
The Brevard County Sheriff’s Office has “Exchange Safety Zones” which allows citizens to safely make property exchanges and online initiated sales transactions in the front parking areas of their offices located at:
North Precinct
2290 Columbia Blvd., Titusville
East Precinct
2575 N. Courtenay Parkway, Merritt Island
Canaveral Precinct
111 Polk Ave., Cape Canaveral
West Precinct
2725 Judge Fran Jamieson Way, Bldg. E, Viera
South Precinct
1515 Sarno Road, Building B, Melbourne
The Cocoa Police Department has an “Internet Purchase Exchange Zone” at their headquarters located at 1226 W. King St.
The Melbourne Police Department located at 650 N Apollo Blvd. offers their lobby as a place to meet for online sales transactions.
The Palm Bay Police Department has two locations in Palm Bay that serve as a “Safe Exchange Zone” for residents to utilize for child custody, private property and e-commerce exchanges. Residents can make exchanges in the two provided spaces found at the main Palm Bay Police Station located at 130 Malabar Rd SE, or at the Police Sub-Station located at 1575 Main St. NE. These spaces are located in front of the buildings and the lots have video surveillance on it at all times.
FLAGLER COUNTY
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office has two Safe Exchange Zones: 1 each in the parking lot of FCSO buildings located at:
- Flagler County Sheriff’s Operations Center & District 3 Building
- 61 Sheriff E.W. Johnston Drive, Bunnell
- Flagler County Sheriff’s Office Palm Coast - District 2 Office
- 14 Palm Harbor Village Way, Palm Coast
The Flagler Beach Police Department has an “Online Transaction Safe Place” in their lobby or parking lot located at 204 South Flagler Ave.
LAKE COUNTY
Lady Lake Police Department offers their parking lot and lobby to conduct physical transactions arranged through online marketplaces. Their address is 423 Fennell Blvd.
The Clermont Police Department has a “Safe Zone Transactions” located in the parking lot of the department located at 3600 South Highway 27.
The Mount Dora Police Department also has a Safe Exchange Zone located at 1300 North Donnelly Street. This space is designed to give you a secure spot for internet purchases and child custody exchanges.
Our designated area in the parking lot is under 24-hour surveillance, ensuring your safety and peace of mind during these exchanges. We encourage everyone in our community to use this designated location.
MARION COUNTY
The Ocala Police Department offers an “E-Commerce Exchange Zone” located in the parking lot directly in front of the department’s headquarters at 402 South Pine Ave.
ORANGE COUNTY
Orange County Sheriff’s Office offers an “E-Commerce Exchange Zone” in their headquarters parking lot at 2500 West Colonial Drive.
The Apopka Police Department would like to remind everyone about the Exchange Zone located in the parking lot of the Apopka Police Station located at 112 East 6th Street
Residents are encouraged to make exchanges Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. These parking spots are provided for individuals to conduct legal transactions or exchanges. If someone won’t meet you here, that is a red flag! Be sure to follow the Apopka Police Department for more safety tips!
The Ocoee Police Department has a “Safe Exchange Zone” for internet and social media sales or purchases as as well as child custody exchanges located at in the department’s parking lot at 646 Ocoee Commerce Parkway.
The Orlando Police Department’s E-Commerce Exchange Zone is located in the parking lot at OPD headquarters at 1250 West South St., the E-Commerce Exchange Zone is monitored by security cameras 24/7 to ensure everyone’s safety.
UCF police offers “Safe Spots” for e-commerce exchanges in their parking lot located at 3610 Libra Drive.
OSCEOLA COUNTY
The Osceola County Sheriff’s Office offers a “Safe Exchange Zone” locations in the parking lot of their facilities to complete business transactions. In addition, the zones may be used for child visitation exchanges. They can be found at:
Main Office
2601 E. Irlo Bronson Memorial Highway, Kissimmee
West Office
2000 N. Poinciana Blvd., Kissimmee
South Office
4547-B Pleasant Hill Road, Poinciana
According to the Kissimmee Police Department, if you make an online purchase from sites such as OfferUp, letgo, Facebook Marketplace or any other social media site, you can use their monitored parking lot right here at the police department to exchange items located at 8 N. Stewart Ave. We care about your safe
The St. Cloud Police Department parking lot has two new “E-Commerce Exchange Zone” areas located at 4700 Neptune Road. Two parking spaces have been designated for citizens to safely and conveniently buy and sell items in a public place from online transactions. The two parking spaces are on the east side of our parking lot are marked with an “E-Commerce Exchange Zone” sign and green lines and are monitored by video surveillance.
SEMINOLE COUNTY
The Seminole County Sheriff’s Office offers several “Safe Exchange Zones” that can be used for online purchase exchanges as well as an area for parents to safely exchange their children as part of the “Safe Exchange of Minor Children” law. The parking spaces are marked by “Safe Exchange Zone” signs and are located in front of their main and region office buildings at:
- Main Office
- 100 Eslinger Way, Sanford
- East Region Office
- 1225 East Broadway St., Oviedo
- South Region Office
- 120 West Pineview St., Altamonte Springs
- North Regio Office
- 805 Primera Blvd., Lake Mary
The Lake Mary Police Department is designated as a “Safe Zone” for online transactions such as eBay, Craigslist, etc. If you plan on buying or selling items via online business networks, please utilize the “Safe Zone” to conduct your transactions. Signage is posted in the parking lot at the Police Department located at 165 East Crystal Lake Ave. Transactions can take place in the parking lot or in the lobby, but in the lobby ONLY between the hours of 8 a.m.- 5 p.m. on Monday through Friday.
The Longwood Police Department offers an Internet Purchase Exchange Location. Many people who buy and sell goods online (Ebay, Craigslist, etc.) feel uncomfortable meeting a stranger in a random parking lot to conduct the transaction. Unfortunately some criminals take advantage of internet purchase exchanges to rip you off with fake goods or to try and steal your money. Don’t fall victim to these crooks. Conduct your transaction in a safe environment. We encourage you to take advantage of our parking lot located at 235 West Church Ave. You can call the non emergency number posted on the sign to have an officer stand by with you while you make your purchase
The Sanford Police Department offers the Sanford Police Internet Exchange Location for meeting someone for an online marketplace exchange.
Residents are encouraged to utilize the Internet Exchange Location inside the lobby of the Public Safety Building located at 815 Historic Goldsboro Blvd. during regular business hours from, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
If residents cannot meet during those hours, they are encouraged to utilize the parking space in the visitor parking lot labeled ‘Internet Exchange Location”. If using the Internet Exchange Location parking space, residents are strongly encouraged to call the non-emergency number provided and have a Sanford Police Officer standby during the exchange.
Sanford Police Officers will not mediate internet exchange purchases; however, they can serve as a witness to the transaction. It is the goal that the officer’s presence increases resident’s peace of mind when engaging in these types of transactions.
Winter Springs Police Department offers an “Internet Purchase Exchange Location” in their parking lot located at 300 North Moss Road.
SUMTER COUNTY
The Sumter County Sheriff’s Office offers two “Safe Exchange Zones” reserved for anyone making child custody exchanges, private property, and E-Commerce transactions. They are located at:
- Bushnell Office
- 250 E McCollum Ave,. Bushnell
- Wildwood Office
- 7361 Powell Road, Wildwood
VOLUSIA COUNTY
The Volusia County Sheriff’s Office offers several “Safe Exchange Zones.” They can be found at the following locations:
- The Volusia Family Resource Center
- 3747 W. International Speedway Blvd., Daytona Beach
- District 3 North
- 1435 U.S. 1, Ormond Beach
- District 3 South
- 124 N. Riverside Drive, New Smyrna Beach
- District 4
- 1691 Providence Blvd., Deltona
- District 6
- 79 S. Charles R. Beall Blvd., DeBary
The city of South Daytona offers “Safe Exchange Zones” in the parking lot in front of the police department located at 1672 South Ridgewood Ave.
The Daytona Beach Police Department offers an Internet Exchange location at their headquarters located at 129 Valor Blvd. that is well-lit and monitored that also offers 24/7 audio and video recording, according to the department.
The DeLand Police Department has setup a location for residents to exchange purchases in a safe location. The concept is to provide an area to help residents feel safe when they conduct business including purchase an item from or sell an item to a stranger. Two parking spaces in front of the police department located at 219 West Howry Ave. have been designated for internet transactions/trades.
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