Another Reddit, gon_zoh, user was kind enough to share his absolutely terrifying experience as a BUYER who found an online seller that was offering local pickup. Here’s a story everyone should hear, whether you buy or sell online:

So, gon_zoh (we will call him “GZ”), came across an online listing for “2 HUGE entire boxes of DVD Movies” for only $40; best off all, the vast majority of the titles were what fits GZ’s taste, so it was basically a dream come true, especially for someone who doesn’t want to pay for cable but still wants a variety of flicks to watch. As soon as he saw the posting, GZ messaged the seller to commit to the purchase and schedule a meetup time.

Since GZ is wise he chose to meet at a bank… because banks are loaded with cameras and mega secure!

As soon as GZ arrived he saw the seller, already present, with 2 pretty massive boxes on the ground in front of him. Like anyone would assume, these were the cases of the DVDs, so all signs pointed to “YESSSSSSSS!!!!”

GZ opened up the cases and began sifting through the DVDs. When he got about half way through the first box, the seller (who we will call Leo) said “Oh! Damn! I forgot some” and told GZ to wait while he grabs them from his vehicle. Of course GZ is thinking “OMG, I get EVEN MORE?!”, clearly GZ was stoked…. Who wouldn’t be??

Leo came back from his vehicle holding a few additional DVDs in his hands then proceeded to drop them into the box. After they fell into the box, Leo told GZ “You better check those. I have been an airhead today”, which seems to imply that *maybe* the cases were empty or possibly contained DVDs that didn’t correspond with the case. So GZ started opening them. The first DVD image showed a male being engaged by other males (<---- I’m pretty sure you catch the drift here. If you don’t, try harder, pun intended).

Immediately GZ assumed this must indeed be the “airhead mistake” that Leo was referring to… but sure enough, the next couple cases GZ looked at contained more of the same types of content.

Before GZ could respond to the surprising titles, Leo asked if GZ was interested in some physical contact between the two of them, (exact quote, “Are you DTF?”). As you can imagine, if you go to buy some DVDs and end up with a person proposition you, you are caught a bit off guard, so all GZ could do was stand up and and stare blankly, yet somehow managed to say “No thank you”.

Now let me mention this; if you have never been in a situation of this nature, it is common for your body to “freeze” and for your mind to “go blank”. I suspect the reason for this is because this is not an issue that most people, let alone men, are used to dealing with, so your brain (and body) doesn’t know WTF to do… which means you are basically a “deer in headlights”.

While GZ stood still like a statue, Leo moved in, and quickly slid a hand down GZs pants. Still frozen in confusion outside of the bank, with a strangers hand down his pants, GZ started to scream. Thankfully the screaming shocked Leo and caused him to take a few steps back, thus removing his hand from GZ’s pelvic area.

With the hand no longer violating him, GZ’s mind began working more normally and the frightened paralysis ceased, so he yelled out “I will call the police!” and “I have your license plate”. If there’s two things criminals don’t want to hear, it’s the word “License Plate” and the word “Police”. GZ then started screaming again and this time the bank customers began to take notice. This causes Leo to take off, with a quickness.

7 LESSONS LEARNED:

1. Being a man doesn’t mean you’re automatically “safe”.
2. Meeting at a bank is GREAT!!! In fact it’s one of the best places to meet. But make sure you meet in the front, PUBLIC area of the bank, during business hours.
3. If things go wrong, SCREAM AT THE TOP OF YOUR LUNGS
4. Additionally, man or woman, the best option is to always bring a friend. Have your friend stay in the RUNNING vehicle, with the doors locked.
5. Make sure your vehicle is FACING the easiest exit.
6. Back-in to the parking spot so you can “floor it” out if needed.
7. ALWAYS be sure your phone is 100% charged and cell service is fully operable!