For Immediate Release

Tuesday, Feb. 5 2019

Media Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: john@jgpr.net

Arlington Police Offer Safe Location for Online Marketplace Transactions

ARLINGTON– Interim Chief Julie Flaherty is pleased to announce that the Arlington Police Department has created a designated meet up spot for the vendors and buyers of online marketplaces to complete their transactions safely.

Arlington Police partnered with OfferUp, an online marketplace, to create a safe meet up location in the lobby of the police station at 112 Mystic St. OfferUp works with law enforcement agencies to create safe locations for in-person transactions of goods sold online, and donated a sign to designate the official meet up location in the lobby of the station.

“Online marketplaces have become a popular way for people to buy and sell goods, but these platforms can also pose a danger if the buyer or seller is a criminal seeking to take advantage of the situation, or if the sale goes badly,” Chief Flaherty said. “By opening our lobby as a meet up location, we hope residents feel safe as they complete these transactions.”

By using the police station as a meet up location, residents that are purchasing or selling items online can also avoid the risk of meeting at home to complete a transaction and sharing an address with a stranger.

“Our ability to partner with the Arlington Police Department allows us to bring a collective and focused effort and investment to the well-being of this community by improving the security of in-person transactions,” said Natalie Angelillo, Vice President of Community at OfferUp. “Our MeetUp Spots program helps serve the much needed purpose of providing an easy and free way to establish a community location that is public, surveilled, well lit, and monitored by the police department. OfferUp is proud to have a partner in Arlington to support our commitment to building trust in communities throughout the country.”

OfferUp is dedicated to reinventing the way people buy and sell in their communities. As the largest and fastest growing mobile marketplace for local buyers and sellers in the United States, the company offers iOS and Android apps that make selling an item as easy as snapping a picture from your mobile device. The privately held company is based in Bellevue, Washington, and backed by top investors including Andreessen Horowitz, Warburg Pincus, GGV Capital, Altimeter Capital and Allen & Company. For more information, visit www.offerup.com and follow OfferUp at www.twitter.com/offerup and www.facebook.com/offerup.

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