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Everything on the internet is true - Mithrandir - 03-25-2008
http://www.tdn.com/articles/2008/03/24/bre...83115117823.txt
Quote:JACKSONVILLE, Ore. â 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 sheriffâs 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.
âI informed them I was the owner, but they refused to give the stuff back,â Salisbury said. âThey showed me the Craigslist printout and told me they had the right to do what they did.â
The driver sped away after rebuking Salisbury. On his way home he spotted other cars filled with his belongings.
Once home he was greeted by close to 30 people rummaging through his barn and front porch.
The trespassers, armed with printouts of the ad, tried to brush him off. âThey honestly thought that because it appeared on the Internet it was true,â Salisbury said. âIt boggles the mind.â
Jacksonville police and Jackson County sheriffâs deputies arrived but by then several cars packed with Salisburyâs property had fled.
He turned some license plate numbers over to police.
Michelle Easley had seen the ad that claimed Salisburyâs horse had been declared abandoned by the sheriffâs department and was free to a good home.
âI canât stand to see a horse suffer so I drove out there and got her,â Easley said. âThe horse didnât look abandoned. She is in good shape for being 32 years old.â
But it looked odd, so she left a note on Salisburyâs door explaining the ad. She then decided to call to make sure the ad was legitimate when the second similar ad appeared.
âI feel bad because I was a part of it,â Easley said. âIt felt right to call the police.â
Fagan praised Easleyâs honestly but said prosecution was likely for anybody caught with Salisburyâs property.
Items can be returned with no questions asked, Fagan said.
Detectives have contacted Craigslistâs legal team to try to trace the ad.
Meanwhile, Salisbury could not even relax on his porch swing.
Someone took it.
My favorite part is that all the people had print outs of the Craigslist posting as "proof" - as if that someone legalized and legitimized the whole affair.
The scary part is that if Mr. Fagan were a man easily pushed to violence, things could have gotten ugly very quickly. If he had a gun on him and decided to forcibly prevent the ransacking of his house... Yikes.
With the success of this hoax, I would not be the least bit surprised to see copy cat Craiglist ads popping up in the near future.
Everything on the internet is true - Quark - 03-25-2008
Quote:With the success of this hoax, I would not be the least bit surprised to see copy cat Craiglist ads popping up in the near future.
Quick reply on way out door: this is a copycat itself, though I don't currently have a link.
Everything on the internet is true - Mithrandir - 03-25-2008
Quote:Quick reply on way out door: this is a copycat itself, though I don't currently have a link.
Got it: http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-0...list-hoax_N.htm
Wow, I didn't realize that this had been done before... how do people keep falling for this crap?
Everything on the internet is true - --Pete - 03-26-2008
Hi,
Quote:... how do people keep falling for this crap?Because half the population is below average in intelligence -- and average is pretty poor.
--Pete
Everything on the internet is true - Occhidiangela - 03-26-2008
Quote:http://www.tdn.com/articles/2008/03/24/bre...83115117823.txtI am willing to bet that a strict liability case agains Craigslist would win. We will see if Mr Fagan pursues that. What Craigslist allowed was a fraudulent act to be committed. Their disclaimer is no defense.
My favorite part is that all the people had print outs of the Craigslist posting as "proof" - as if that someone legalized and legitimized the whole affair.
The scary part is that if Mr. Fagan were a man easily pushed to violence, things could have gotten ugly very quickly. If he had a gun on him and decided to forcibly prevent the ransacking of his house... Yikes.
With the success of this hoax, I would not be the least bit surprised to see copy cat Craiglist ads popping up in the near future.
Had Mr Fagan been prone to violence, I suspect he'd still be fuming, as I imagine his guns would also have been stolen.
Occhi
Everything on the internet is true - Nystul - 03-27-2008
Quote:Hi,
Because half the population is below average in intelligence -- and average is pretty poor.
--Pete
Or more likely they "fall for it" because they want the free stuff.:) But I know... never attribute to malice what can be explained by incompetence.
Everything on the internet is true - Nystul - 03-27-2008
Quote:I am willing to bet that a strict liability case agains Craigslist would win. We will see if Mr Fagan pursues that. What Craigslist allowed was a fraudulent act to be committed. Their disclaimer is no defense.
I wouldn't rule that out, but let's not forget some person wrote this ad. And it's probably not some hacker in China or Poland beyond the reach of the law; it is someone local who knows a horse exists at that specific address and probably has some sort of relationship to the owner.
Everything on the internet is true - Mithrandir - 03-27-2008
Quote:Or more likely they "fall for it" because they want the free stuff.:) But I know... never attribute to malice what can be explained by incompetence.
Yeah, willful ignorance would be my bet. Doesn't the fact that all of the individuals showed up with printouts of the Craigslist posting show awareness of the fact that they may be challenged while ransacking the listed house and thus that what they are doing may be illegal?
Quote:Had Mr Fagan been prone to violence, I suspect he'd still be fuming, as I imagine his guns would also have been stolen.
Maurice Clarett taught me that it is always a great idea to store all of your firearms in your car. I just assumed everyone else did the same;)
Everything on the internet is true - Nystul - 03-28-2008
Quote:Maurice Clarett taught me that it is always a great idea to store all of your firearms in your car. I just assumed everyone else did the same;)
That stings a bit. What a waste of talent. That was just the last in a long list of "great ideas" leading Mo C from hero to zero.
Everything on the internet is true - Jarulf - 03-28-2008
Quote:Hi,
Because half the population is below average in intelligence -- and average is pretty poor.
--Pete
Doesn't that assumes there is no one AT the average intelligence?
:P
Everything on the internet is true - Sir_Die_alot - 03-28-2008
Quote:Doesn't that assumes there is no one AT the average intelligence?I see very few people who reach that level. :P
:P
Everything on the internet is true - --Pete - 03-28-2008
Hi,
Quote:Doesn't that assumes there is no one AT the average intelligence?Actually, my statement was completely bogus and based on the popular misconception of how the average works. But rigorous humor often causes joke mortis B)
:P
Everything on the internet is true - Vandiablo - 03-29-2008
Quote: my statement was completely bogus and based on the popular misconception of how the average works.Do not cross The Median -- he gets angry when people think he's average.
Everything on the internet is true - Vandiablo - 03-29-2008
Quote:Doesn't that assumes there is no one AT the average intelligence?Well what if there's TWO there, co-median??
HAW HAW *snort* HAW
Everything on the internet is true - Occhidiangela - 03-30-2008
Quote:Hi,For the next time you raise that point, I offer the faux Latin jocularis mortis as a fitting bon mot. Or mortis jocularis. Or Mortimer's Jockstrap.
Actually, my statement was completely bogus and based on the popular misconception of how the average works. But rigorous humor often causes joke mortis B)
Or something like that.
Occhi
Everything on the internet is true - --Pete - 03-30-2008
Quote:Or something like that.:P
Everything on the internet is true - Jim - 03-30-2008
Quote:Mortimer's Jockstrap.
Occhi
Hi,
Yep I caught that while in the Navy 1963 Naples! :blush:
Everything on the internet is true - Maitre - 03-31-2008
Quote:Well what if there's TWO there, co-median??
HAW HAW *snort* HAW
Not that there's anything wrong with it, but when I met the co-median, my first instinct was that this guy was bi-modal curious.
to the topic, the chain of liability probably goes from victim to hosting website (craigslist) and then if victim wins, craigslist can turn around and file suit against the poster. My question is how the law's concept of a "reasonable person" will come into play. By shear numbers, this post must have been believable by a reasonable person, because people showed up and grabbed the victim's belongings, however, is craigslist responsible for determining what is legit, and what is not, or what is reasonable and what is not?