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Tag: Craigslist

  • Apple Changes Trade-In Policy, Now Accepts Macs In-Store

    Apple Changes Trade-In Policy, Now Accepts Macs In-Store

    Apple has changed its trade-in policy to accept in-person Mac trade-ins at the Apple Store.

    Prior to the change, Apple excluded Macs from in-person trade-ins, forcing owners to use the website option instead. Alternately, users could opt to sell their Mac via Craigslist, Facebook or some other platform.

    The company’s site promises a competitive trade-in value, saying: “Just answer a few questions about your device. Based on what you tell us, we’ll offer you a competitive trade-in estimate for an Apple Store Gift Card or instant credit at an Apple Store. Or you’ll have the option to recycle it for free.”

    This change is a welcome one for users who want a hassle-free option for applying the value of their existing Mac toward a new purchase.

  • eBay Pursuing Sale Of Its Classified-Ads Business

    eBay Pursuing Sale Of Its Classified-Ads Business

    eBay has been considering selling its classified-ads business for some time, but it appears the company is finally taking steps in that direction.

    The company’s classifieds business is estimated to be worth some $10 billion and mainly operates internationally, similar to Craigslist in the U.S. Selling the classifieds division would leave eBay with its core marketplace business.

    According to The Wall Street Journal, “Private-equity firms including TPG and Blackstone Group Inc. and strategic bidders including Naspers Ltd. and German publishing company Axel Springer SE have recently expressed interest in the business.” eBay has also been approaching other companies to gauge interest.

    Both Naspers and Axel Springer have existing online classifieds businesses, and the addition of eBay’s business would no doubt significantly increase their reach. The WSJ reports that indications of interest are due in March.

    We will continue to monitor developments and report updates.

  • Craigslist Finally Releases Its Very Own, Official iOS App

    Craigslist Finally Releases Its Very Own, Official iOS App

    “Better late than never” goes the old saying. Of course, well over a decade late may be pushing it a bit. Craigslist doesn’t appear to have gotten the memo, however, as they have finally released an official iOS app—a full 11 years after the App Store debuted.

    Craigslist Categories
    Craigslist Categories

    Despite being late to the game, the app is #5 in the Shopping category at the time of writing, providing a small demonstration of the staying power of the classifieds site. The app offers all the basic functionality one would expect, including the ability to view ads, search items, post items for sale and manage an account.

    The app offers several main categories, such as Community, For Sale, Gigs, Housing, Jobs, Resumes and Services, with each one having additional subcategories.

    The Android version has not been officially released yet, but there is a beta version available.

  • Founders Syndrome Is a Real Thing, Says Craigslist Founder

    Founders Syndrome Is a Real Thing, Says Craigslist Founder

    “I wasn’t temperamentally suited to be CEO or really any kind of manager,” says Craiglist founder Craig Newmark. “So I was thinking maybe it is time to step down. I had also read about something called founder syndrome where somebody who’s good at starting something is really terrible at keeping it going. The biggest lesson is that founders syndrome is a real thing. The faster you think about that and then step down the better off you are.”

    Craig Newmark, founder of Craigslist, discusses the reality of founders syndrome where an entrepreneur might be really good at starting something but horrible at managing the business going forward in an Inc. featured video:

    As a Manager I Suck

    I can applaud myself thinking that it only took me a few months to overcome founder syndrome as opposed to running the company into the ground. The history of the first five years of Craigslist was just me running the thing, one year running it with volunteers, then after making it a company, one year with me as CEO. But towards the end of that year, people were kind enough to help me understand that as a manager I suck. I needed to find people who might be much better at it than I was. They were suggesting that maybe I didn’t have the right skill mix to be CEO. These are people who really cared about the site who believed and they were right.

    Founders Syndrome Is a Real Thing

    I wasn’t temperamentally suited to be CEO or really any kind of manager. So I was thinking maybe it is time to step down. I had also read about something called founder syndrome where somebody who’s good at starting something is really terrible at keeping it going. My decision to step down, well I winced a little bit because it was my creation and I didn’t want to feel stupid if I had made a big mistake. But it’s worked out and I don’t have regrets about stepping down. The biggest lesson is that founders syndrome is a real thing. The faster you think about that and then step down the better off you are. That worked out.

    Founders Syndrome Is a Real Thing, Says Craigslist Founder Craig Newmark
  • Facebook Launches Marketplace, Could Challenge Craigslist, eBay

    Facebook Launches Marketplace, Could Challenge Craigslist, eBay

    Facebook announced today a formal buy and sell platform called Marketplace, which is likely perceived by Craigslist and eBay as a new hugely powerful competitor nudging into their space. There has always been some buying and selling via Facebook Groups, but this is the first time that Facebook has focused this activity into a single feature. At launch, the goods available to buy and sell will only be viewable to people in your local geographic area.

    Although Marketplace is free (at least initially), it’s not hard to imagine that over time Facebook will add payment and shipping features that make it an eCommerce competitor to eBay. With Facebook’s tremendous reach and the massive amount of buying and selling already happening in Facebook Groups, it already is a competitor with Craigslist and classifieds. Facebook says that more than 450 million people visit buy and sell groups each month worldwide.

    Marketplace will be part of the Facebook mobile app, easily accessible by tapping on the shop icon at the bottom of the screen.

    screen-shot-2016-10-03-at-10-43-21-am

    How To Buy Stuff via Facebook Marketplace

    Both selling and buying items on Facebook Marketplace is very easy. “Marketplace opens with photos of items that people near you have listed for sale,” notes Mary Ku, Director of Product Management, in a blog announcement. “To find something specific, search at the top and filter your results by location, category or price. You can also browse what’s available in a variety of categories such as Household, Electronics and Apparel. Use the built-in location tool to adjust the region you’re looking in, or switch to a different city altogether.”

    screen-shot-2016-10-03-at-10-50-14-am

    Once you find something you want, you simply send the seller a direct message right from the Marketplace feature and make an offer. All further negotiation takes place via DM and you will have to work out payment logistics.

    How To Sell Stuff via Facebook Marketplace

    Facebook provided this list of how to sell::

    1. Take a photo of your item, or add it from your camera roll
    2. Enter a product name, description and price
    3. Confirm your location and select a category
    4. Post
    Rolling Out to 4 Countries

    Marketplace is launching in US, UK, Australia, and New Zealand on the Facebook app for iPhone and Android. “We will continue expanding to additional countries and make Marketplace available on the desktop version of Facebook in the coming months,” says Ku.

  • Craigslist: St. Louis Murder Victim Said To Have Been Using Site To Meet Someone About Car

    Craigslist can turn deadly if you follow the wrong ad. All too many have learned this the hard way, and this week, a body was found in St. Louis, which belongs to a man who fell victim to murder after possibly meeting someone through the site.

    It has yet to be confirmed that a Craigslist ad is directly related, but based on what the victim’s family has said, it appears this was likely the case.

    The body of Robert Lovings Polk, a 22-year-old Army veteran, was reportedly found in St. Louis on Thursday in an alley. He had been shot and had been missing after going to look at a used car, his family believes. St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports:

    The body of Robert Lovings Polk was decomposed, but tests later showed he had been shot, police said.

    Polk, 22, was found dead about 7:40 a.m. Thursday in an alley in the 8000 block of Frederick Street, in the Baden neighborhood. He has been missing since Oct. 3, when his mother said he left home, possibly to meet someone to buy a car posted on the online marketplace Craigslist. Police have not yet confirmed that theory.

    Though the Craigslist angle has yet to be proven, the story is all too familiar.

    A year ago, Law Street reported that it had identified 58 murderers and 45 murder victims connected to Craigslist postings through the previous June.

    Even since then, in April, Advanced Interactive Media Group said that since 2007 there had been 86 killings that were in some way linked to Craigslist.

    Suffice it to say, Craigslist has a reputation. Here’s a peek at some recent casual conversation from Twitter:

    Etc., Etc.

  • Woman Who Cut Out Baby After Luring Mother on Craigslist Won’t Face Murder Charges

    A decision not to file murder charges against a woman accused of cutting a seven-month-old fetus from its mother’s womb is setting off debates over so-called “fetal homicide laws.”

    Earlier this month we told you the horrifying story of a woman who lured a pregnant woman to her home with a Craigslist ad for used baby clothing. When she arrived, she was beaten and stabbed. It ended with 34-year-old Dynel Lane cutting 26-year-old Michelle Wilkins’ unborn baby from her womb and leaving her there to die. Wilkins didn’t die, however. After spending some time in critical condition she was just recently released from the hospital.

    According to police, Lane had been telling her family that she was pregnant for some time. When her husband came home he found Lane covered in blood. The baby was in the upstairs bathtub. She told him she had a miscarriage, which is also what she told doctors when she took the baby to the hospital. It didn’t survive.

    According to District Attorney Stan Garnett, the decision on what charges to file is a tough one, but murder is not an option due to the state of Colorado’s fetal homicide laws. In Colorado, a baby must show signs of life outside the womb to be considered a victim in a homicide.

    From The Denver Post:

    “Under Colorado law, essentially, there is no way murder charges can be brought if it’s not established that the fetus lived as a child outside the body of the mother,” he said.

    David Beller, a Denver defense attorney, says the charges present a complex legal challenge and deciding which ones to file is “incredibly complicated.”

    “In my experience, doctors (can) tell pretty readily whether or not the baby actually took a breath and if the lungs expanded,” he said. “I think the legal questions are going to turn to her conduct after the fact.”

    Beller said that “multiple issues” were likely at play in deciding what charges to file. He added that while there is a great deal of legal precedent in fetal death cases, there isn’t much that equates to last week’s case.

    There are 37 states that label the killing of a fetus as homicide in some cases. Twenty nine of those offer full coverage to the unborn through all periods of pre-natal development. Eight offer partial coverage – depending on the stage of development. Colorado is not one of those states.

    What Colorado does have on the books are laws that make the intentional killing of a pregnant woman an aggravating factor, as well as those that “specify that a court shall sentence a defendant convicted of committing specified offenses against a pregnant woman, if the defendant knew or reasonably should have known that the victim was pregnant, to a term of at least the midpoint, but not more than twice the maximum, of the presumptive range for the punishment of the offense” and “establishing that a court shall sentence a defendant convicted of assault in the third degree to a term of imprisonment of at least six months, but not longer than the maximum sentence authorized for the offense, if the victim of the assault was a pregnant woman and the defendant knew or should have known that the victim was pregnant.”

    For pro-choicers, fetal homicide laws represent a slippery slope to curtailing abortion rights.

    For the pro-lifers, this tragic case is an example of the need for such laws and many blame the other side for interfering in their passage.

    This is already political, but it’s probably best to think about the human consequences first. A woman is lucky to be alive and now has to deal with one of the most traumatic experiences one can imagine for the rest of her life.

  • Want to Avoid Getting Murdered by a Craigslist Killer? Try Selling Your Stuff at a Police Station

    Earlier this week, a pregnant Colorado woman looking to buy used baby clothes from a woman she found on Craigslist drove to the seller’s home. When she arrived, she was brutally beaten and stabbed. The attackers then proceeded to cut her unborn baby from her womb, leaving her there to die.

    She’s expected to survive, but the baby did not.

    That’s a sickening story, but it’s not an isolated one. According to reports, at least 48 people have been killed in altercations stemming from Craigslist since 2009. When you think about what Craigslist provides – partially anonymous transactions involving goods and money – this isn’t all the shocking.

    But it’s troubling nonetheless.

    That’s why counties in Florida are looking to make Craigslist transactions safer. The Boca Raton Police Department has been leading a campaign to raise awareness about Craigslist crimes, and also provide buyers and sellers with a safer place to make their exchanges – police stations.

    These so-called “Safe Exchange Zones” are what’s needed to curb Craigslist-spawned violence, says Police Chief Dan Alexander. He claims to have fielded no instances of Craigslist-related crime since the safe zones’ inception.

    According to CBS News, other counties in Florida are looking to do the same, including Jacksonville.

    This extremely troubling story is just another reminder to be careful when dealing with strangers online. This sort of Craigslist bait-and-attack happens more often than you might think. See here, here, here, and here. Scary stuff.

    Image via Boca Raton Police Department, Facebook

  • Woman Lures Pregnant Woman with Craigslist Ad, Cuts Out Baby

    Online marketplace Craigslist has a reputation for attracting some pretty odd characters – some with severely bad intentions. The latest Craigslist-related crime story comes out of Colorado and it’s absolutely terrifying.

    A 26-year-old Longmont, CO, woman is in the hospital recovering after she was brutally beaten and stabbed after answering a Craigslist ad of a woman looking to sell baby clothes. The suspect, 34-year-old Dynel Lane, cut her unborn baby from her womb. The victim was around seven months pregnant.

    According to police, the pregnant victim went to Lane’s house following a Craigslist ad for baby clothes. But when she arrived, she was immediately attacked. Lane, who was once a certified nurse’s aide, then cut the baby from her body and left her there bleeding. Lane apparently took the baby to the hospital, claiming to have had a miscarriage.

    The baby did not survive the attack. The victim is expected to recover.

    “Officers arrived on scene and could hear a female calling for help inside the home. Officers entered the home and located a female who had been beaten and stabbed in the stomach,” Longmont police told FOX31 Denver. “It was later learned, the female was pregnant and her baby had been removed. The victim was transported to the Longmont United Hospital where she underwent surgery and is expected to recover.”

    Apparently police have a motive, but aren’t releasing it as of yet. From The Washington Post:

    Investigators have “a pretty good idea” of the motivation of the suspect, [Longmont Police Commander] Jeff Satur told The Post in a Thursday morning phone call. Although Satur declined to discuss details, he said “it would be something everybody would think.”

    This extremely troubling story is just another reminder to be careful when dealing with strangers online. This sort of Craigslist bait-and-attack happens more often than you might think.

  • Man Blackmailed After Responding to Craigslist Sex Ad with Naked Photo

    My mother always told me “Josh, never send naked selfies to people you don’t know on the internet.” That was her favorite mom warning, apart from “Josh, don’t blackmail people.”

    Moms are so smart.

    A Philadelphia man has pleaded guilty to second-degree theft by extortion and is looking at a 5-year prison sentence after he blackmailed a man who sent him naked photos of himself in response to a Craigslist ad.

    According to the New Jersey State Police, the victim (an unnamed New Jersey resident) responded to an ad for gay sex taken out by 42-year-old Steven J. Beisher. The victim’s response came in the form of a naked photo, which Beisher decided to use to blackmail the victim.

    According to the New Jersey Attorney General’s office:

    “Beisher found the victim’s telephone number and address and called him the following day, threatening to expose the victim to his wife and family if he did not pay Beisher money. Beisher called repeatedly to demand that the victim meet him at various locations in Philadelphia to make payments.”

    And it worked–at least for a while. Over the next 9 days, our victim made 7 payments to Beisher, totaling $1,950. I guess 7 times is enough, as our extortee refused to meet with Beisher for an eighth time, instead electing to report him to state police.

    It appears that theft, in all its forms, is Beisher’s thing. He has 8 prior convictions, ranging from burglary to receiving stolen property and even another theft by extortion charge.

    Crime doesn’t pay, and don’t send pictures of your dick to strangers. Thus ends today’s lesson.

    Image of Steven Beisher via NJ AG’s office

  • Craigslist Killer Alleged To Have Murdered Dozens

    “When I hit 22, I stopped counting.”

    These chilling words are alleged to have come directly from the mouth of Miranda Barbour. Barbour was arrested in November for her role in the killing of a 42-year-old man she met on Craigslist. The 19-year-old and her husband Elytte Barbour, 22, face charges that include criminal homicide.

    Despite her confessions, both Barbour and her husband have pleaded not guilty.

    In a phone interview with a reporter for the Daily Item, Barbour said that over the past several years she had participated in at least 22 different killing across the states of Alaska, Texas, North Carolina, and California. Barbour says that she’s not sure of the exact number but she told the reporter, “I can pinpoint on a map where you can find them.”

    According to CNN, Sunbury Police Chief Steve Mazzeo says that local law enforcement officials are working closely with the FBI and other law enforcement agencies in each of the states where Barbour has lived.

    Meanwhile the FBI has released a statement saying its too early to determine its exact role in this ongoing case. A statement to CNN revealed that The FBI’s Philadelphia Division, “has recently been in contact with the Sunbury Police Department regarding Miranda Barbour, and will offer any assistance requested in the case.”

    Barbour’s public defender claimed he was unaware of the interview, which the Daily Item is claiming was recorded. At the same time, her husband Elytte’s lawyer is apparently balking at the notion of a consolidated trial in the aftermath of the alleged quotes.

    The Item claims that during her interview, Barbour revealed that she killed for the first time at the age of 13 when she joined a Satanic cult in Alaska.

    Authorities say they are investigating her claims.

    According to Mazzeo, “We investigate all leads just because that’s the proper protocol to follow through.”

    A date for the “Craigslist Killings” case has not yet been set. Barbour is currently being held at the Northumberland County Prison in Pennsylvania.

    Image via Youtube

  • Craigslist Killer Admits to Slaying 22 Others

    A craigslist killer charged in the November murder of a man has confessed to slaying 22 other victims within the past six years.

    Miranda Barbour, 19, and her newlywed husband are facing criminal homicide charges in the death of 42-year-old Troy LaFerrara.

    After connecting with the victim via a Craigslist post, Barbour lured LaFerrara to a mall parking lot and then the two drove six miles into Sunbury, Pa. The post was reportedly a sexual-service advertisement set at a price of $100.

    Barbour told investigators that her husband was only supposed to strangle the victim, but because LaFerrara continued to agree to sexual advancements after she had falsely claimed to be 16 years old, Barbour decided to take his slaughter even further.

    LaFerrara suffered from nearly 20 stab wounds.

    The couple had just moved from North Carolina to Pennsylvania prior to the slaying. After only three weeks into their marriage, LaFerrara was their first killing together.

    However, for Barbour the man was just another victim to add to her list of committed murders.

    During an audio-recorded interview from prison, she told journalist Francis Scarcella of The Daily Item that she has contributed to a number of murders in North Carolina, Texas, Alaska, and California.

    “When I hit 22, I stopped counting,” Barbour said Friday night in her confession from Northumberland County Prison.

    Barbour requested the interview because she finally wanted to confess to the killings.

    Police officers have now started to investigate more into her claims and have contacted appropriate authorities within several states.

    “From information we gathered and from information gathered from her interview we are seriously concerned and have been in contact with the proper authorities,” Sunbury Police Chief Steve Mazzeo told The Daily Item. (image)

    According to Barbour, she first started participating in several murders at age 13 after joining a satanic cult in Alaska.

    “I wasn’t always there (mentally). I knew something was bad inside me and the satanic beliefs brought it out. I embraced it,” she said.

    Barbour claims that she would go after “bad people” and according to her, LaFerrara did not deserve to live.

    “I studied them. I learned them and even became their friend. I did this to people who did bad things and didn’t deserve to be here anymore.”

    Hauntingly enough, the Craigslist killer told the newspaper that her killing spree would always be a constant pattern.

    “I know I wanted to talk about all this because I know I had a 20-year window where I would possibly get out of jail and I don’t want that to happen. If I were to be released, I would do this again,” she said unapologetically.

    Barbour plans to plead guilty to LaFerrara’s murder, and in doing so, she offers to lead investigators to the locations where the other 22 killings occurred.

    Image via YouTube

  • Man Banned from Internet After Sending Naked Men to Neighbor’s Door with Craigslist Sex Ads

    Yeah, that’s a mouthful of a headline. I just wanted to get all of the facets of this amazing story in the headline so you wouldn’t be tempted to pass it over. I assure you, everything I said above is true. And we’re not even talking about Florida!

    Jason Willis, from Racine, Wisconsin, has been sentenced to two and a half years probation and has been completely banned from using the internet after he used online classified service Craigslist to coax sex-hungry men to his neighbor’s house.

    I’ll let the Journal Times handle the next part:

    The Waterford man will spend the next 2 1/2 years on probation and is banned from the Internet after he was sentenced Tuesday for posting Craigslist ads asking people to have sex with his neighbor.

    Trouble was, investigators said, his neighbor wasn’t soliciting for sexual trysts and didn’t know about the ads until people began appearing at her door. That included a man dressed in a coat, but naked underneath.

    WISN confirms that the man showed up wearing nothing but a trench coat – and he was far from the only one who responded to Willis’ racy ad.

    If Willis violates any part of his probation (including accessing the internet), he’ll be forced to spend 18 months in jail.

    Although there is a lot of amazing stuff happening in this story, and it’s impossible not to make light of, you have to feel for the victim here. It could have turned into a dangerous situation – I mean, do you know some of the creepers who respond to Craigslist ads?

    “It was just a joke to him. To me, that’s not my idea of a joke. It’s not my idea of a prank. You don’t send men to a single woman’s home with her daughter there,” the victim said. “It’s been about a year and a half, but I’m still nervous as to who’s coming to my door, why they’re coming to my door, and if I don’t see a vehicle, I don’t know who it is.”

    Image via Thinkstock

  • Florida out Floridas Itself with a Craigslist Meet-up Turned Botched Kidnapping at a Walmart

    Before we get in to one of the most Florida stories in the history of both Florida and stories, let’s all go ahead and take a deep breath – this story involves Craigslist, attempted kidnapping, guns, Walmart, parking lot rage, and of course, Florida.

    Two men are facing charges of aggravated assault, robbery, and attempted kidnapping after they tried – and failed – to abduct a man they met on Craigslist in broad daylight in a Walmart parking lot. America.

    Darius Beasley, 21, and Jamichael Tucker, 19, are being held on $103,000 and $125,000 bond, respectively.

    As the story goes, our unidentified victim met a man to allegedly purchase his $4,500 wedding ring. The two arranged the meet-up via Craigslist.

    Our presumed divorcee met with Beasley, let him inside his truck, and proceeded to make the deal. That’s when things got really Florida interesting.

    I’ll let the Pensacola News Journal’s Kevin Robinson take it from here:

    The victim said that immediately afterward, Tucker approached the driver’s side of the vehicle and pointed a gun inside. Tucker then allegedly opened the door of the vehicle and attempted to put duct tape around the victim’s wrists.

    The victim was able to get out of the vehicle and run away, and the two suspects returned to their car and drove off, the report said. The victim began to chase the pair in his truck, and Tucker reportedly leaned out of his car window and began shooting at the victim.

    Luckily, shockingly, and un-Floridaingly, no one was injured in the exchange.

    In the future, chasing a man with a gun when you, yourself, are unarmed, is ill-advised. I’m just thinking out loud here. Also, on the other hand, don’t try to kidnap people. I think that’s sound life advice, even for The Sunshine State.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • A Couple of Purebred Unicorns Are for Sale on Craigslist

    So you bought your daughter a cute pony for her birthday last year. Big f’in deal. It wasn’t a unicorn. And once she finds out that you could’ve bred her some unicorns, well, she’s going to think you suck. And you do.

    Apparently, the only fully licensed unicorn breeder in North America lives in Goffstown, New Hampshire – and he’s selling 2 purebred unicorns for the cool price of $925,000 a piece. You shouldn’t scoff at that price tag, I mean, they’re unicorns.

    Here’s what the Craigslist ad has to say (hat tip to The Daily Dot for pointing this out).

    We are selling 2 purebred unicorns. Male is 3 years old named Pagasus. Female is 5 years old and named Daisy. Price of $930,000 USD is per unicorn.

    Unicorns are hand fed from birth, and require just as much attention if you do decide to welcome a unicorn into your home.

    We are the only fully licensed unicorn breeder in North America, and are NUBAA certified. Call now to be put on the waiting list, on which wait times start at 9 months out

    And if you are thinking about making a joke out of this, our seller has one final message for you: “SERIOUS INQUIRIES ONLY PLEASE!”

    Ok, I want one. I want one so bad that I believed this was real. That was until I did a reverse image search and found that the photo of Pagasus (Pagasus?) and Daisy has been posted all over Pinterest for months. This ad is only 6 days old.

    I’m starting to question our master breeder. Man, this is some bullshit – don’t get my hopes up like that.

    Image via Craigslist

  • Man Finds $98K in $150 Craigslist Desk, Returns It

    In man, I guess people aren’t all bad news, a New Haven, Connecticut Rabbi has returned a woman’s entire inheritance after he found it in a bag inside a desk he purchased on Craigslist.

    Rabbi Noah Muroff and his wife purchased a desk for $150 on the online classifieds site, only to find that it wouldn’t quite fit through their office door. Upon deconstructing the desk to make it fit, the Muroffs found a plastic bag filled to the brim with $100 bills. After laying all the cash out on a table and counting it, they discovered that their $150 purchase had come with a secret stash that totaled $98,000.

    “My wife and I both knew immediately that we would return it,” Muroff told WTNH. When I was picking up the desk, the lady, who wasn’t Jewish, told me that she had bought the desk at Staples and put it together herself. We knew the money was hers and she was speechless when we called her to tell her we had found it.”

    Yep, they returned it. Every dollar. Humanity +1.

    The woman said that the money was her inheritance and that she had hidden it and forgotten about it. She forgot about $98,000?

    Muroff received a handwritten thank you note for his kind and honest act:

    I can not thank you enough for your honesty and integrity. I do not think there are too many people in this world that would have done what you did by calling me. I do like to believe that there are still good people left in this crazy world we live in. You certainly are one of them. I work in the non-profit sector and I see people with hardships and struggles every day. So I truly believe that no good deed goes un-noticed. Please accept this gift for you & your family along with my thanks. I will be forever grateful.

    So she did pay out a reward. Muroff did not disclose the amount, but he did say that when the relieved woman learned that he had four children, she upped it.

    Hooray! People don’t suck!

    Image via WTNH, YouTube

  • Man Posts Craigslist Ad Seeking Rape of 11-Year-Old Relative

    People use Craigslist for some pretty strange stuff – and a lot of it, while odd and at times off-putting, usually winds up being pretty funny. This isn’t. This is probably one of the worst things I’ve ever heard – especially involving Craigslist. Prepare yourself.

    A 32-year-old Cuba, Missouri man has been arrested and held on $100,000 bond after police captured him attempting to enlist the help of someone he met on Craigslist in the commission of a rape.

    Anthony Brinkman allegedly posted a Craigslist ad looking for someone to assist him in sexually assaulting an 11-year-old girl. The person who eventually responded to his ad was actually an undercover officer at Missouri’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.

    According to reports, the Craigslist ad stated that he wanted someone to assault the girl with sex toys, and that he was also looking for someone to be her “boyfriend.”

    There are conflicting reports as to exact identity of the 11-year-old girl. St. Louis’ KMOV and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch simply called the girl a “relative,” while Rawstory says that the little girl is the man’s daughter. The story is just as sick either way.

    Police first caught wind of the odd Craigslist ad when one user clicked to report the ad as abusive. After than, an officer posed as a 27-year-old woman and responded to Brinkman’s request. Brinkman allegedly sent photos of the girl to the officer before suggesting that they meet at a local Cracker Barrel for a sort of “test” run. The deal was that if the officer (still posing as an interested party) liked the girl, they could then go back and complete the acts.

    Brinkman was arrested when he showed up to the restaurant with the girl. Police were shocked that he took it that far. He’s now facing counts of attempted statutory sodomy and sex trafficking of a minor.

    And the girl? According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch:

    Investigators do not believe the girl had been sexually assaulted by Brinkman in the past, [Detective] Slaughter said, but authorities plan to talk more to the girl. Police have seized Brinkman’s computers and are awaiting the results of a forensic analysis.

    Slaughter said state caseworkers have been notified. Female police officers initially took the girl back to police headquarters until relatives arrived to take her home, Slaughter said.

    Some stories leave you feeling weird for a while – this is most definitely one of those stories. Ick.

    Image via police mugshot, StlToday

  • Puppy Doe: Reward Offered in Abuse Case [GRAPHIC]

    Two Facebook groups are working to find the owner of a pit bull puppy that was tortured to death after being given away through Craigslist. The dog was found in a park in Quincy, Massachusetts at the end of August and had so many injuries that it had to be euthanized. The veterinarian who examined the pup said that the torture was the work of a “psychopath.”

    The list of injuries Puppy Doe sustained is horrifying. “They’re a freak, a total freak,” said Dr. Martha Smith-Blackmore, the veterinarian who performed the autopsy. “Splitting her tongue, burning her nose, stabbing her eye, it’s the totality of the types of injuries. Not only was she beaten, she was stabbed [and] she was burned. It’s all kinds of injures. It’s a sick mind that can do this to an animal.”

    The original owner of Puppy Doe said that she is heartbroken over what happened. “The guilt and responsibility I felt–my heart broke. It was my responsibility to find her a good home,” Laura Hankins told The Boston Herald. “The list of things done to her are just so inhuman and so disgusting. She was the sweetest dog.” Hankins purchased the puppy for $200 in December, but after being told she couldn’t have the dog at her rental, she posted the pup on Craigslist.

    The Norfolk County District Attorney wants to pursue charges against the person who abused Puppy Doe. “It is highly unlikely that this level of sadistic cruelty could be shown to one animal and not be part of a pattern involving other animals or perhaps vulnerable people. We need to find the person who did this and see what else they are doing,” said District Attorney Michael W. Morrissey.

    Two groups on Facebook are seeking justice for the pup, and the groups have about 40,000 followers combined. A reward of $18,000 is reportedly being offered to whoever helps in the arrest and prosecution of person who tortured the pup. People who want to join in spreading word about Puppy Doe and finding her abuser can join Justice for Puppy Doe (1) or Justice for Puppy Doe (2).

    A petition has been started to change state laws to ban giving away animals on Craigslist. The petition, called “Justice for Puppy Doe: BAN the rehoming of pets on Craigslist,” wants to make sure no more pets are harmed because they were “dumped on Craigslist.” The petition currently has 30,000 signatures and will be sent to Craigslist CEO Jim Buckmaster after it receives 50,000 signatures of support.

    People who have any information on the case should contact the Animal Rescue League of Boston at 617-226-5610.

    Main image via Facebook; Article image via The Huffington Post

  • Newspapers Are Dying For A Lot Of Reasons, And Craigslist Is One Of Them

    Newspapers are dying. It’s an inevitable fact that the Internet has made print newspapers largely irrelevant. People think that the Internet has only robbed newspapers of their readers due to the medium’s ability to deliver news faster, but a new study has found that the Internet has been taking ad dollars from newspapers as well.

    The Raw Story reports a new research study to be published in Management Science by New York University has found that Craigslist took a huge chunk out of newspapers’ classified ads business between 2000 and 2007. How big of a chunk? At least $5 billion.

    So, what kind of impact has Craigslist had on small newspapers? The study found that there was a massive 20.7 percent drop in classified ad rates in the seven years surveyed by researchers. During that same time, they found that subscription prices rose by 3.3 percent while circulation fell by 4.4 percent. With those numbers, it’s a losing game for small newspapers unless they can somehow convince readers to pony up even more money per newspaper.

    What should worry more newspapers is that the study didn’t take into account any decline in classified ad rates from 2008 to 2012. The researchers fear that newspapers may have felt the sting of Craigslist even more over the last four years. The study also didn’t take into account other online classified ad services so the impact could be even greater.

    Despite the doom and gloom surrounding the death of newspapers, the researchers are largely positive. They feel that newspapers are adjusting their business models to deal with the shortfall left behind by the loss of readers and ads. That’s true for the larger newspapers, like The New York Times, that have successfully transitioned to online and mobile.

    Unfortunately, there are a lot of small papers without any online presence at all. They will feel the sting of declining readers and ad revenue the most. It doesn’t help that those same small papers are never afforded the resources to successfully transition to an online business model.

    If all else fails, maybe those smaller papers can ask a bored, rich white guy in Silicon Valley to buy them.

  • ‘Haunted’ Car Parts Allegedly Pulled from Fatal Ryan Dunn Crash For Sale on Craigslist

    ‘Haunted’ Car Parts Allegedly Pulled from Fatal Ryan Dunn Crash For Sale on Craigslist

    This is a weird one.

    As you may remember, Jackass star Ryan Dunn drunkenly crashed his Porsche in West Goshen, Pennsylvania back in the summer of 2011, killing himself and his passenger.

    And apparently, someone recovered some small parts from the crash and is attempting to sell them on Craigslist.

    Joe.ie tipped me to the posting, which comes from Philadelphia. It offers up the parts (small enough to fit inside a shoebox) for $300.

    Apparently, the original collector doesn’t want them anymore – because they may be haunted.

    “A week after the accident I went to the accident and scooped up minor parts I saw lying on the ground. The parts are all remotely tiny, and all fit in a shoebox. I don’t want them anymore because weird shit has happened since I put it under my bed. I guess it’s because it’s a weird thing to have, but I was a huge Jackass fan and thought it would be a cool something to have. If you want proof they are his parts, I have pictures of the crash site I took myself,” reads the ad.

    (image)

    We’ve tried to contact the poster and will let you know if we find anything else out. I guess you really can find anything on Craigslist.

  • ‘Craigslist Killer’ Convicted of Murdering Victims of His Phony Labor Ad Scheme

    In the conclusion to one of the stranger homicide cases to spring from a classifieds website that you’ll ever hear, 53-year-old Richard Beasley from Akron, Ohio, has been convicted of kidnapping and murdering three men that he found using a phony Craigslist ad.

    We first told you about this case back in November of 2011 when the Beasley and his then-16-year-old accomplice were arrested and charged with the murders.

    As the story goes, a South Carolina man answered a Craigslist ad for a general labor job on a 700-acre cattle farm in Noble county, Ohio. He said that he was told he’d be living on the farm, and thus was instructed to bring all of his belongings with him. When he arrived, two men led him into the woods and pointed a gun at his head. He managed to escape, but was clipped in the arm while fleeing.

    This led police to uncover the scheme, which they said involved Beasley and his accomplice placing phony Craigslist ads offering jobs to out-of-work laborers. The goal was to bring unsuspecting workers out to their farm, where they would rob and kill them.

    Police first uncovered one shallow grave filled with a body. Suspecting more victims, police eventually found the evidence to charge Beasley and his accomplice with multiple homicides.

    Beasley has been found guilty on all counts, including aggravated murder, aggravated attempted murder, aggravated robbery, grand and petty theft and ID theft.

    His younger accomplice, 18-year-old Brogan Rafferty, was tried and sentenced last November to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

    Beasley, a former preacher, will be sentenced on March 20th. The death penalty will be considered.