I've been playfully mocked over my aversion to Craigslist. Yet here's another example of what can happen when someone can take advantage of the anonymity with which one can place a Craigslist ad.

Shawn Christopher McShane, 29 year old piece of XXXX from Ocean City admits he purposely placed an ad for a used car on Craigslist for the sole purpose of robbing people at gunpoint when they showed up to look at it. The victims thought they were going to see a 2004 Honda Civic and not the barrel of a gun. One person was taken for $4,200. Another for $4,600. I assume they brought cash as part of the pre-negotiation in the event they liked the car. The car that, of course, did not exist. What a perfect scam. What a great way to make sure someone shows up with a lot of cash on them and into an environment that the gunman has control over.

Police ended up seeing this thug in a bar who perfectly matched the description. They called the phone number listed in the Craigslist ad and watched as sure enough he reached into his pocket and answered his phone. That's when they placed him under arrest and he admitted the whole thing.

The fact that police departments across the Garden State are setting up safe zones in lobbies or parking lots of police stations where people can transact this kind of business should tell you I've had a point all along.

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