Crime-Safety-Security.com Newsletter
Criminals use Craigslist ads and newspaper want-ads to lure victims with deals that are too good to be true. The soon-to-be victims call the phone number from the ad, take a wad of cash, and follow directions to a meeting place that turns out to be a dark parking lot or a vacant apartment or house, get a gun in their face, and are robbed – or raped and robbed. The victims’ greed for a sweet deal overwhelms their intuition telling them to beware of a suspicious location.
OR, vice-versa: criminals respond to ads placed by the soon-to-be victims, are invited into their homes, and loot the home and/or rape the victims.
See Intuition and use “common sense” (which is not very common): If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is too good to be true – especially in a secluded location. See more about Craigslist and want-ad lures and traps at True Crime Stories.
Also see Wolf in Sheep's Clothing and Friendly Predators.
To see how your want-ads, yard sales, wedding announcements, etc. put you at risk (criminals often search for golden opportunities to target you), go to Home Security: Want-Ads on Cracks in Home Security.
Crime-Safety-Security > Newsletter Archive > newsletter-09-Dec-08