Study Finds Craigslist is a ''Cesspool of Crime''

[tuanmai]

Study reveals that anonymity within the Craigslist website is exploited by hundreds of criminals across the country.

Study Finds Craigslist is a ''Cesspool of Crime'' : Read more

 

[jhansonxi]

Cesspool of crime compared to what? Local newspaper? The rest of the Internet?

 

[beluve]

OMG ... who didnt know this already? lol

 

[ProDigit10]

They're trying to be ebay, without the ebay rating system it's just not going to work.

 

[Anomalyx]

"But that’s no longer an excuse that Craigslist can hide behind," added Zollman.

Blaming Craigslist for that stuff just put Zollman one intelligence level LOWER than the people who have been conned by a Craigslister. It's like looking at the number of murders that happen with a hammer as a weapon, and trying to hold hardware stores accountable for it. It's just idiotic.

 

[Von Death]

I found a sweet deal on an apartment rental on craigslist, the woman who listed it said she was momentarily out of town, but that she would "be back soon." I was suspicious because the rent was so low, so I physically visited the apartment. It was private so I couldn't go inside, but the place existed on the correct address listed on the ad, I was completely convinced of the ads authenticity.

Several email exchanges later I sent my application bearing personal information to the woman who posted the ad. I then got an email saying I was accepted, and that all I needed to do was send a money order to her Western Union account. At that moment I knew I'd been had (Western Union is notorious for being used by scammers, as ignorant as I was, thank God knew that), and my rage and thirst for revenge soared as I began to do everything in my power to track her down. My trail eventually died when her listed address was in a trailer park in Oregon. I called the owner, and he said she had left long ago and that also I wasn't the first to call about her.

I do not blame craigslist, but the reason such crime exists is because craigslist is not only easy to use, but it doesn't have an accountability or user ratings system. Kind of like...real...life...

 

[Guest]

There is no effort, there is no sentience, there is no decision. If people started listing items for sale in tomsguides comments section, would tomsguides become a poormans ebay? People list things for sale there because they choose to do so. I agree entirely with what jhansonx said, whomever wrote this article is simply trying to attack or maim a specific website in anyway they can. With little doubt, for nefarious purposes. You are -just- as likely to be ripped off or harmed in some way as you are on the street or in any other website.
Targeting craigslist benefits nobody, this reminds me of all that bullshit involving craigslist and prostitution, it's always going to be.

 

[alyon]

It really is that bad. Many of the goods are stolen. I have stopped using it due to not trusting the posters. Anonymity is good for some things... but not this.

 

[maestintaolius]

"In a study conducted by AIM Group (for Oodle.com, Craigslist's rival website)"

That right there tells you the legitimacy of the study. It'd be like asking Steve Jobs for a review of Android and then being surprised you got a biased response.

330 crimes? Out of how many normal transactions over what period of time? I bet, on a percentage basis, scam emails are considerably more commonplace (just based on my personal experiences). Everyone I know that's used the site has never had an issue.

 

[ericburnby]

I buy & sell on Craigslist all the time. It's very fast and the best part is it's local. It's way easier to spot a deal on something in my own neighborhood than to wade through EBAY listings.

I've also used CL to get rid of stuff I no longer wanted (like old tube TV's). Literally within 15 minutes of posting I had people willing to come by and pick stuff up.

It's so easy to spot scammers on CL that you'd have to be an idiot to get had. If you're buying/selling then meet the other party face-to-face. Examine the item and it it's OK you make the deal. Not so hard to comprehend. Anyone who doesn't want to meet or lives in another city is a scammer.

However, I do like to play along with the scammers and let them think I'm falling for their scam. I've sent a few "empty" parcels to addresses provided after getting my PayPal fake e-mail saying my money has been sent. And inside the parcel I put a note saying that the tracking number has also been forwarded to the police, and they should look over their shoulder. Never heard back, so don't know what happened but I bet the recipient was PISSED.

 

[free_radical]

Anyone who has ever done any business on Craigslist probably knows that there is a lot fraud going on there, but it's still a great place to sell stuff quickly and hassle-free as long as certain common sense precautions are taken. I have sold tons of stuff (several motorcycles, computer hardware, furniture, electronics, among other things) on Craigslist without getting scammed/assaulted/robbed and would prefer it over Ebay any day. Ebay is more buyer-friendly than Craigslist, but it's terrible place for sellers due to Paypal "buyer protection" policies that sound like they are designed to enable scammers. A couple of years ago I made a mistake selling an expensive phone on Ebay and ended up being screwed by the seller with whom Paypal arbitrarily sided. Never again. Then there are Paypal and Ebay fees that add up to something like 15% of the final price. No thanks.

 

[robochump]

Unfortunately stupid people can use the internet too and be scammed. You can make this same argument with nearly any email service. lol

 

[mikem_90]

[citation][nom]maestintaolius[/nom]"In a study conducted by AIM Group (for Oodle.com, Craigslist's rival website)"That right there tells you the legitimacy of the study. It'd be like asking Steve Jobs for a review of Android and then being surprised you got a biased response.330 crimes? Out of how many normal transactions over what period of time? I bet, on a percentage basis, scam emails are considerably more commonplace (just based on my personal experiences). Everyone I know that's used the site has never had an issue.[/citation]


Basically it was nothing resembling a study, just a bunch of propaganda.
Yeah, glad someone pointed that one out. Several places just say the title and don't give the details as to WHO created this trash.

 

[Assmar]

[citation][nom]soldier37[/nom]Yet another reason I dont buy from or go there, its the poor mans Ebay and that welcomes trash.[/citation]
Because poor people are trash.

But I did buy a bike I found out to be stolen from craigslist. Trash, is trash, whether they have money or they don't, though.

 

[Guest]

I stay away from Craiglist mostly because I don't constantly go out and buy useless junk that I'll later have to sell, nor do I have a financial need to sell anything of mine or to acquire anything used...

However, a little due dilligence (such as carrying a firearm with you to the transaction) could've prevented all of the rape, robbery, murder, etc... The fact that some people are too stupid to defend themselves shouldn't preclude the rest of us from having a free market, and nothing embodies a free market more than craigslist. Law enforcement can go on there and enforce the law all they want, but they don't need to encroach on anybody's freedom of speech or assembly.

 

[tychoblu]

[citation][nom]due_dild0gence[/nom]I stay away from Craiglist mostly because I don't constantly go out and buy useless junk that I'll later have to sell, nor do I have a financial need to sell anything of mine or to acquire anything used... However, a little due dilligence (such as carrying a firearm with you to the transaction) could've prevented all of the rape, robbery, murder, etc... The fact that some people are too stupid to defend themselves shouldn't preclude the rest of us from having a free market, and nothing embodies a free market more than craigslist. Law enforcement can go on there and enforce the law all they want, but they don't need to encroach on anybody's freedom of speech or assembly.[/citation]
Shouldn't you have quoted some scripture as well?

 

[Guest]

There have been many illegal things found on eBay as well, such as trying to ship restricted technology outside of the US. I think even an F18 was up for sale at one time. No joke. Many people moved to eBay not get around ratings, but because of all the fees that were being tacked on and then jacked up, because the powers that be could get away with it.

 

[resetrsx]

One time I met up with lady from Craig's list to buy a laptop. She was pretty hot, but she tried to rape me. Ever since then, I've used ebay.

 

[f-14]

i do have to laugh, thinking on some of the ads i have seen in craigslist, if i was a criminal when the ad lists what time to come by and buy something is about the equivelent of being a robber and reading the obituraries to see whose home is now ungaurded.
while searching the free section for a swing play set i saw an ad from a guy who had posted he was asking for the return of the brand new gas grille some one had taken from the deck on the back of his house. he said he had put the old gas grille he was giving away free at the end of his driveway.

i still laugh, just the mere fact it still stuck in my memory since last summer is funny in itself also.

 

[thegreathuntingdolphin]

Targeting craigslist benefits nobody, this reminds me of all that bullshit involving craigslist and prostitution, it's always going to be.

I disagree. Craigslist, like any business, has a responsibility to their customers and the law. It is no different than in real life where those that own indoor or outdoor malls, flea markets, shopping centers, etc are somewhat responsible for what happens in/at them even if they don't sell anything. Yes, they do not have to stop every little crime but if they are aware there is a problem, then they usually have to do something to stop it. In real life in the physical world, a business can be fined or shut down for letting too much seedy behavior occur. It is incredibly common for bars and restaurants to be shut down over drugs or prostitution even though they had nothing to do with promoting or profiting from the crimes.

I like the mall example. Think of a mall having an adult store. The mall only makes rent from the store (much like how craigslist makes advertising money). Now at the adult store say a guy is pimping here and there. The mall probably would not know. But if it was common and everyone knew that you could get a prostitute or child porn at that drug store, the mall would have to know if it was going down. They would have to do something about it as well. Craigslist is also in the same boat. Just because it doesn't have a physical address and is online classifieds does not mean Craigslist is somehow immune from the laws regular businesses face.

Also, I am really sick and tired of the "it's always going to be argument". That is true about all crime whether it is prostitution, murder, burglary, trespassing or identity fraud.