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Craigslist Hoax
By JLP | March 24, 2008
I just saw this story on Drudge Report:
JACKSONVILLE, Ore. — A pair of hoax ads on Craigslist cost an Oregon man much of what he owned.
The ads popped up Saturday afternoon, saying the owner of a Jacksonville home was forced to leave the area suddenly and his belongings, including a horse, were free for the taking, said Jackson County sheriff’s Detective Sgt. Colin Fagan.
But Robert Salisbury had no plans to leave. The independent contractor was at Emigrant Lake when he got a call from a woman who had stopped by his house to claim his horse.
On his way home he stopped a truck loaded down with his work ladders, lawn mower and weed eater.
“I informed them I was the owner, but they refused to give the stuff back,” Salisbury said. “They showed me the Craigslist printout and told me they had the right to do what they did.”
Included in the article was a poll asking readers if the people who took Salisbury’s stuff should be prosecuted by the law. You have to register in order to take part in the poll. That said, I do think that those people who took Salisbury’s stuff SHOULD be prosecuted. It’s unbelievable that people can be so stupid to believe in such a story. I also think the person responsible for the listing should be prosecuted.
It’s amazing what some people find humorous.
Topics: Miscellaneous | 14 Comments »
March 24th, 2008 at 11:10 am
This happened to a lady in Tacoma, WA a couple of years ago. The house was pretty trashed before someone bothered to notify the cops . People even stole some of the windows and doors!
I didn’t follow up on the story, but it looked like a family member might have posted the craigslist ad!
March 24th, 2008 at 11:35 am
In this case the only one doing anything wrong was the poster of the ad, as well as the people who were informed that the stuff was not free. Imagine if you were walking through the mall and someone walked up with a big sign and plunked it in front of a store saying “STORE CLOSING TONIGHT! EVERYTHING FREE!” . . . What would you do, are you going to wait until you’ve confirmed the deal with the rightful owner of the store?
Everyone who took stuff should give the stuff back, and the poster should be put to sleep. Problem solved.
March 24th, 2008 at 11:36 am
Totally agree they should be persecuted, especially those who met him and refused to give the stuff back. He should also sue whoever posted the ad for damages. BTW – I think the lady in Tacoma’s story was on 60 minutes or 20/20 not that long ago.
March 24th, 2008 at 11:55 am
This is a horrible story, as people nowadays think they are entitled to everything.
People should give his stuff back (obviously), and they should track down whoever posted the ad. It borders on theft, as you can’t use an excuse like, “but officer, someone told me that this museum artifact was free!” to absolve yourself of any consequences.
Overall people should check with the owner before taking anything (even if the ad says otherwise), but most people are greedy bastards.
March 24th, 2008 at 1:11 pm
What the people did was theft. Just because someone told you that something was free doesn’t make it legal for you to take it. It’s ludicrous that people are fine with just walking into someone else’s house and taking all their things.
I assume he has insurance, though, so at least they should pay for the theft/damages.
March 24th, 2008 at 2:18 pm
Just because I give away your stuff doesn’t make it legal. If he wasn’t able to get it back, he should (if possible) sue the person who posted the ad for the replacement value of the items. Little personal responsibility…
March 24th, 2008 at 3:42 pm
They are all guilty of violating the law. Think of it this way. If there was a post about a store closing and you went down there and helped yourself, you would be prosecuted for theft. Just as ignorance of the law is no excuse, breaking the law because someone told you it was okay, even if they did so via a Craigslist ad, does not mean you weren’t still breaking the law. All parties involved with unlawfully removing the property should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Those that participated in this are too stupid to be out on the street anyway.
March 24th, 2008 at 4:27 pm
Here’s the Tacoma, WA story:
http://www.king5.com/topstories/stories/NW_040507WABcraigslistadLJ.34e92f1d.html
The follow-up link from that story doesn’t give too many more details, although it mentions that the police are treating it as a civil matter.
March 24th, 2008 at 4:56 pm
A better follow-up on the Tacoma, WA story:
http://www.king5.com/localnews/stories/NW_051607WABcraigslist_adarrestSW.766cbd54.html
Nichole M. Blackwell has been charged with burglary in the second degree, malicious mischief in the first degree and criminal impersonation in the first degree.
I’m no lawyer or cop, but these sound like they’ve made it a criminal case now. I don’t know if any convictions or sentences have been handed out yet, though.
March 24th, 2008 at 8:53 pm
I think they should go for prosecutions with an option of giving the stuff back and all is forgiven.
Did these idiots just show up at a house and just start taking things? Ridiculous…
March 25th, 2008 at 9:53 am
They won’t be laughing when they show the Craigslist ad to the judge. Those who took items should have to return them. Those who kept items after being informed the items were not free committed burglary with full knowledge.
If someone posted an ad saying that a farmer was leaving town and offered his corn fields to be used as an ATV racing track for the weekend, you can bet some people would be owing him some cash for damages.
March 25th, 2008 at 12:32 pm
Makes you wonder if the owner was some kind of jack ass and encouraged the poster to seek revenge.
March 30th, 2008 at 4:25 pm
http://www.kgw.com/news-local/stories/kgw_032408_news_craigslist_hoax.1ffb2c9c.html
Looks like the computer it was posted from has been turned in but no word yet on the actual culprit. The article also said that some of his stuff has started showing back up so that’s good on a level. So sad that people do that sort of thing.
April 2nd, 2008 at 1:34 pm
Latest update:
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/357260_craigslistcrime02.html
Turns out the people who posted the Craigslist ad had originally committed burglary against the victim, and tried to cover up their tracks by inviting everyone to loot the house. Trouble is, the Internet is not anonymous, and they were soon found out. Not the smartest move there, fellas.