Buyers, sellers should be cautious with internet classifieds: expert
Posted May 14, 2013 8:13 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
TORONTO – The Tim Bosma case might be raising some concerns about buying or selling items online.
Avner Levin, Director of the Privacy and Cyber Crime Institute at Ryerson University, says common sense in online interactions is critical.
“We have to keep those basic, commonsensical truths in the back of our head,” he told 680News.
However, he adds that cases like the Bosma murder, are rare.
But there is a stark difference between the online realm and real life, he says.
“When we interact with somebody — even if we don’t really know them in person — and we’re doing it through the computer, we as human beings develop this sense that we know them and that we can trust them,” he said.
“Just because we’re interacting with somebody, just because somebody had expressed an interest in what we’re trying to sell or we’re interested in what they’re selling and we have this exchange, we don’t really know them.”
Police have said Bosma posted an online ad prior to his disappearance.
However, in a statement, online classifieds website Kijiji said the listing did not include any personal information and it did not receive any responses.
“We confirmed to the police that the ad posted by Mr. Bosma on Kijiji did not feature personal contact information, nor did it receive any replies, which determines the incident did not occur as result of his ad posting on Kijiji.”
Police announced that they had located the charred remains of Bosma.
A Toronto man is under arrest and will be charged Wednesday with first-degree murder, police said.
Investigators are looking for at least two other suspects.
