Man loses his pants as SF online transaction goes awry

A man was robbed of his pants this week, police said. A man was robbed of his pants this week, police said. Photo: Mark Winema / Getty Images Photo: Mark Winema / Getty Images Image 1 of / 45 Caption Close Man loses his pants as SF online transaction goes awry 1 / 45 Back to Gallery

A man was robbed of his pants and shoes near the San Francisco Zoo in an online transaction gone wrong, officials said.

The man and a companion, ages 18 and 23, arranged online to meet up with two men in their 20s to sell a pair of shoes, according to the San Francisco Police Department.

When the four men met up on the 1700 block of Sloat Boulevard, one of the purported buyers showed the victims a gun concealed in his waistband and robbed one of the pants and shoes he was wearing, police said.

“He demanded for the victim to take off his pants and shoes and give them to him,” said Officer Robert Rueca, a police spokesman.

The man with the gun then made the second victim go to an ATM and take out more cash, and the pair were robbed of a cell phone, wallet, cash and credit cards, according to police.

No arrests have been made, police said.

Police declined to specify which online forum the men used to arrange the sale of the items.

“We can’t state which platform, partially out of not wanting to put a black mark on any one platform, but also because everyone should be wary of transaction originating from these platforms,” Rueca said.

Some Bay Area cities, including Fremont, Danville, Pittsburg and Daly City, have recently created “safe exchange zones,” designated areas with cameras or police surveillance where residents can meet up to execute exchanges arranged on platforms such as Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace without fear of robbery.

Filipa Ioannou is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: fioannou@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @obioannoukenobi