Armed Robbery

Internet scams can steal thousands of dollars from victims who at least were in no direct physical danger....until crooks began luring unsuspecting car buyers through Craigslist [bold added]:

In Berkeley, police say, four victims hoping to buy cars off the popular Internet site have been robbed at gunpoint since June, possibly by the same two men. There have been several other such holdups in Oakland, and similar heists have been reported this month in Castro Valley and Fremont.

Authorities have pointed out warning signs:

"What we're seeing is the seller will change the location. That's part of the M.O.," said Officer Johnna Watson, an Oakland police spokeswoman. "The buyer should be in control and designate the meeting location."

Car buyers should also be wary if the car they plan to purchase shows up with no license plates or with only paper plates, police say.

I use and like Craigslist, through which I've posted community announcements and bought and sold merchandise locally. Craigslist is now a for-profit organization but still retains the original Internet-should-be-free ethos from the mid-1990's. The site isn't flashy and on most listings doesn't charge its users.

Its shoestring overhead (29 employees in 2009) of necessity minimizes Craigslist's supervisory capability. The "Adult Services" section exploded in popularity during the past decade until the prevalence of illegal activities forced Craigslist to shut it down under pressure from states' attorneys general.

Here's hoping that Craigslist users become smart enough to protect themselves. Otherwise Craigslist will have to make changes that will make it less special, perhaps leading to the long decline that has befallen other Internet pioneers. © 2012 Stephen Yuen