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!
