Grim details of the chilling murder of an attractive and intellectually accomplished young female nanny has lifted the lid on a wave of crime perpetuated through the free ad space called "Craig's List" which is one of the most popular websites on the Net. The lifeless body of Ms. Katherine Ann Olson, 24, was discovered in the trunk of her car at a Burnsville, Minnesota, park on October 26, 2007. Her last message was delivered to friends, as she described an ad she was responding to, listed upon Craigslist.org, about a nanny job she had seen on the jobs portion of the site. Ms. Olson graduated from high school in 2002, where she was co-valedictorian, and then matriculated from St. Olaf College in 2006.
This murder is only the most recent and unsettling crime associated with the free ad site that attracts 25 million visitors a month, but draws a large number of criminals, as well. Besides murder, other violent crimes have been reported, and the site is a popular venue for Nigerian conmen, Phishers of all sorts, ID thieves, bait and switch pros, prostitution, and just about any other crime you can imagine. The US Postal Service claims that graft on sites like Craigslist and eBay result in $2 billion a year for overseas con artists, who are only employing the Net and a little creativity for their huge results.
A cross-sample of recent craiglist.org-related headlines, from approximately the last year, will give the sense of the scope of the problem: Bad news for Craigslist: Woman answers ad, found dead (October 29, 2007) Craigslist posters robbed at gunpoint in Walnut Creek, CA (July 17, 2006); Sex on Craiglist.Org (October 5, 2007); Craigslist ad lures posse of unwitting vandals -- House ransacked after bogus invitation to 'help yourself to anything" — free (April 5, 2007); Social sites open door to phishers (October 02, 2007); Police Blotter: Craigslist toddler giveaway ad sparks suit (October 26, 2007); Caught on Craigslist, Getting robbed instead of sex, man tells Aurora police (October 26, 2007); Man won't be charged in pimp's death (October 18, 2007); Police: Woman on hooker scam called her victims 'losers' (October 10, 2007); USPS Starts Campaign Against Mail Scammers (October 3, 2007) Newspaper prostitution arrests (October 22, 2007); Women accused of pimping girls on Craigslist Police: Chicago residents offered sex with underage females for ‘donations' (January 12, 2007); A politician finally notices craigslist, Mayor rips Craigslist over child prostitution (August 23rd, 2007); Craigslist car deal gone bad, Man shot after car deal sours (December 28th, 2006); NEW NIGERIAN ONLINE SCAM USING CRAIGSLIST (July 25, 2006); Craigslist becomes a place for pot peddlers (August 3, 2006); 'Craigslist Robber' Is Armed, Targeting San Jose, Suspect Robs Victims At Gunpoint, Police Say (June 30, 2006).
Several crimes stick out as a serious issue at Craigslist. First, are the ID and fraud criminals, such as Nigerian con artists who often respond more quickly than any real user. They are phishers, or con artists who are trying to get personal information to steal ID's, and also trying to pass off fake cashiers checks and get some real money back, in return. A second group of scammers on Craigslist are prostitutes, who heavily traffic in the dating section, especially in metropolitan areas. A third problem of Craigslist crime would be the selling of stolen, faked, or non-existent items. The fourth area of Craigslist cyber-crime is probably smaller than the others, but the most worrisome. This has to do with violent crimes, being armed robberies, sexual assault, and physical attacks resulting in injuries up to murder.
To battle the Phishing and other cons, The U.S. Postal Service has launched a new 2007 campaign to stop this scam that takes $2 billion dollars a year from Americans, much from sites like eBay and Craigslist. The USPS have already arrested 77 people internationally in the last eight months, and uncovered that $2 billion has been scammed in Europe, Africa and Canada, where the con artists are mostly now located. The scam is especially practiced in Northern California.
Of a typical mail/cyber-con, Jeff Fitch, U.S. Postal Service Inspector, says "Suspects buy merchandise online and they claim they have mailed the wrong amount by mistake. The victim is told to go ahead and deposit the wrong checks into their account and return the excess amount. The check or money order is counterfeit and the victim is sending their own money back to the suspect." The USPS encourages any checks to be vetted at the website: www.fakechecks.org. In addition, they generally suggest eschewing any deals that seem "too good to be true."
In dealing with any person from an internet ad, face-to-face, some rules of conduct should be followed and never deviated from. First, meet in broad daylight, in a safe, public place where other persons are gathered, in case a threatening conversation or encounter ensues. Second, do not meet alone, especially if a female. Third, give specific details as to where and when you are meeting, and with whom, when you will return and always carry a cell phone. Remember, do not take a risk with your safety for something that is simply not nearly as important, in comparison. If the person who answers your ad, or who placed the ad insists that you take a risk when meeting, this is a sign of a person who should not be trusted.
Finally, one can hardly be surprised that crime has flourished on Craigslist, given that it is a free site, without any registration requirements. As opposed to shutting down Craigslist, which adds cultural, economic, and social elements to the cities where it is active, without charge, there needs to be a higher level of scrutiny by users. There certainly is a need from Government crackdowns on the wide scale graft that the Nigerian con artists represent, but individual users must always remember that when they enter into situations and transactions unprepared, they are giving away their right to act prudently, and protect themselves from undue risks.
