The Smorgasbord

Ever looked for bargains on Craigslist? What if someone listed YOUR stuff on Craigslist - what would you do? I read this story a few weeks back about a cruel Craigslist Prank played on a man in Jacksonville, Oregon. Robert Salisbury is an independent contractor who was gone for the day at the lake. While he was gone - someone placed an ad on Craigslist saying “forced to leave the area suddenly and belongings, including a horse, free for the taking”.

He found out because he was at the lake, and he got a call from a woman who stopped by his house to claim his horse. On his way home he stopped a truck loaded down with lawn mowers, weed eaters, ladders and more - and he CONFRONTS them - and they REFUSE to give him his own stuff back! I want you to imagine this scenario for a second, you go away for a nice day at the lake, and come back to find people are basically “ransacking” your home and property. As he pulls into the driveway he finds more than 30 people going through his home and barn. All these people (basically tresspassers) had printouts of the ad they shoved in his face to fend him off.

Apparently he calls the police, and by the time they showed up most of the looters were gone. Everyone who read the ad on Craigslist - just assumed that “because it was on the Internet - it was true”! Unbelievable. This is not the first time I’ve heard of this. Another time, it was reported that a house was to be “torn down” and people came in and took it right down to the studs, including carpet, windows, sinks, toilet, lights, and all fixtures. I believe in that instance it was a couple divorcing and one party was trying to get back at the other before the house was sold.

It is funny how the Internet can be used in this way, but you can use traditional media in the same way. It also goes to show how much now people think that the Internet is just as much of an authority as television, radio, or the local newspaper. Have you ever heard of a story like this? Comment now!

I find a lot of things on the Internet, but today made me realize that it’s been a very long time where I read something that engaged me so much I lost an entire hour before I knew it! I think you’ll love this one….you know those ridiculous Nigerian scam emails you get? There is an entire web site devoted to “baiting” those nigerian scammers and screwing with their heads! Wasting their time and resources so badly that they can’t devote their full resources to scamming others. The post their scambait stores in their entirety on 419eater.com. That in itself is a pretty funny and engaging read. But here’s a scambaiting so good that the scammer is tricked into getting a tattoo!! The story was awesome, you’ll be wanting to tell your friends about it. It was such a finely executed trick - I am very impressed. Check it out, you’ll find it a very worthy read.

You get all kinds of emails talking about scams, and most of the time I immediantly check Snopes to make sure it’s legitimate or not (and usually it’s not). There was one going around about a year ago in forwarded email that talked about watching when you filled your car up with gas because gang members were hiding under cars, and they would slit the back of your ankle with a knife slicing your Achilles tendon so you couldn’t walk - and then hijacking your car. This was a fraudulent story that never happenned, an urban legend. There was another one that gave some special code to use to dial 911 on your cell phone, and yet another code to use to give your cell phone more battery life - all fraudulent.

But sometimes the stories seem all to real, and more and more the spam emails prey on people that are expecting an email. Now they send out emails regarding bonus checks for people signing on to a new job, or worse from their retirement account or something. If you were expecting such a check, the spam email might seem real to you. This official article from the United States FDIC warns of such a ‘cashier’s check scam’. Even though the bulletin was from 2002, I’ve seen emails like it this year.

This article from the United States FTC warns or being way about ’sweepstakes winnings’. Most people have enough common sense to know that you never pay for sweepstakes winnings, but I’m sure we all know a relative or friend that doesn’t. Geeks unite - warn your friends and family about such things, we are often their first line of defense! Have you been scammed or known someone who has? Comment now…