Personal online interactions are a risky proposition, as evidence by the tragic shootings deaths of a Colorado couple.

An arrest affidavit filed in Arapahoe County District Court revealed the unfortunate circumstances that resulted in the deaths of Joseph and Jossline Roland outside their Aurora apartment last month.

According to the Denver Post,  the couple had made arrangements with 18-year-old Kyree Brown through letgo, an app and website for buying used merchandise. The couple met Brown at a mall parking lot, who told them he had brought the wrong title and asked them to follow him to his house. That's when Brown pulled a gun and attempted to rob the couple, ultimately shooting them both. The parents of five children were unaware that the vehicle they were trying to purchase was stolen.

There are a lot of good, trust-worthy people in the world, but there are individuals who are shady and have no regard for human life. You never know when one of them will cross your path. In today's world, the internet has become a way of life from transacting business to shopping and dating  While most transactions may be harmless, there is an element of danger that exists when you are dealing with strangers and the unknown.

Obviously, we can't live our lives in constant fear, but we can exercise extreme caution when it comes to interacting with people we don't know. Your caution may be offensive to some, however, that becomes their problem, not yours. How many people do you suppose have lost their lives over the years because they trusted a complete stranger. It could be someone you met at a bar, or through an online dating service. It might be the purchase of a car, a pet, a house or any other number of things available online. Caution should be king.

Things like commerce transactions or first-date meetings should always be in a public setting. You may feel like you are being paranoid by exercising caution, but, consider the ugly possibility of a tragic ending. It's not worth the risk, no matter how slight that risk may seem. Nobody is suggesting we stop engaging in online interactions, but, we are all well-advised to exercise as much caution as possible and to expect the unexpected.

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