Elderly Amish Man Caught on Film With Prostitute, Blackmailed
When a 75-year-old Amish widower slept with a prostitute, he -- we feel certain -- felt pretty bad about it the next morning. As if that guilt weren't enough for the old man, the prostitute and her boyfriend demanded $67,000 from him, claiming that they had filmed the scene with wall-mounted cameras and would upload the recording to the Internet. The pair was later arrested and, we can only imagine, the Amish man abhorred technology more than ever.
Bank Robber Gets Away With the Help of Craiglist
In October, a bank robber -- wearing a safety vest, blue shirt, face mask and goggles -- eluded police with the help of Craiglist. Just outside the bank, while the robbery was in progress, stood a group of men who were responding to a Craiglist day labor opportunity. As the advertisement required, they were all wearing safety vests, blue shirts, face masks and goggles.
Nude New Zealander Arrested After Responding to Fake Sexy Text Message
Late in 2007, a Wellington, New Zealand man received a racy text message from two anonymous "ladies," giving him only an address and a request that he show up naked. Well, he indeed showed up naked... at the home of one appalled, unsuspecting New Zealander. Both the nude Romeo and the sadistic texter were arrested, though neither were prosecuted.
Fake Craiglist Ad Costs Man Most of What He Owns
Last Spring, a post appeared on an Oregon Craigslist board stating that the owner of a specific house was leaving all of his worldly possessions (still in said house) to whoever wanted them. When homeowner Robert Salisbury rushed home -- on a tip from a woman suspicious about the offer of a free horse -- he found his house being ransacked by 30 strangers. We suggest he take that horse and collect some vengeance Clint Eastwood-style.
17-Year-Old Jailed for Stealing Virtual 'Furniture'
When a 17-year-old Dutch boy hacked into several accounts on the Second Life-style site 'Habbo' in 2007, the the law got involved. The boy was discovered to have stolen $5,800 worth of virtual furniture and knick-knacks. Apparently, crime -- whether actual or virtual -- does not pay.
Phishers Going After Your Phones in New 'Vishing' Trend
Over the past year, sneaky spammers have begun to forsake the worn-out territory of e-mail in favor of cell phones' fertile frontier. The result? "Vishing." Get it? Voice mail phishing. It might be more ominous if it didn't sound like a James Bond villain saying, "Wishing."
Burglars Break Into Restaurant, Steal HDTV, Leave Money / Food Behind
Around Halloween of last year, a truckload of thieves drove into -- that's right, into -- a Pennsylvania Mexican restaurant, where they -- apparently uninterested in the cash register -- stole a mid-grade 47-inch HDTV and fled the scene. We've all heard about how this generation is lacking in ambition, but this generation's thieves, too?
Remember when we told you that the government of Pennsylvania was telling any eBayers in the state who sold goods for others to get a license? Yeah, well, apparently they weren't kidding. A woman there opened a consignment shop on the online auction house so that she could stay home and treat her daughter with cancer. Now she faces a $10-million fine for doing so without an auctioneer's license.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 5)
Charles Clark said 2:57PM on 1-31-2008
We agree with the State of Pennsylvania, want the maximum fine with 10 years imprisonment imposed to make an example of this woman. We also believe all sellers on Ebay should be required to get a license and post at least a 25,000 cash bond before being allowed to sell anything on Ebay. Ebay has for many years now been a haven for criminals and all sorts of unethical sellers selling everything from stolen property to counterfeit goods (98.2% of all Ebay transactions the past 5 years have been in these 2 categories). Hats off to Pennaylvania for taking action to resolve these problems
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teacherdude said 8:56AM on 7-09-2008
Stupid comments. I buy and sell on Ebay and I am not cheating anyone. Sounds like an idiot to me.
indyf16 said 3:07PM on 1-31-2008
charles, babe, you sound like a disgruntled Auctioneer.
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mattw81 said 3:09PM on 1-31-2008
Charles Clark is an idiot
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msud434 said 3:11PM on 1-31-2008
Where do you get your statistics from CHARLES CLARK? I would like to see where it is stated that 98.2% of items are either stolen or fake. Also it sounds like you are an auctioneer yourself, and I am certain that you never take advantage of other people for the items that you sell. You would never undervalue an item so that you can purchase it and then resell it at an auction. I am so glad you are a great business person. Try not to lose to much sleep lying in bed worrying how others are making money to support there families.
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chris said 3:26PM on 1-31-2008
Every time a dollar changes hands, the government has to get a cut. How much tax revenue does each paper note generate during its life time?
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ApplePie said 3:32PM on 1-31-2008
Oh come on Charles - it's not like there aren't a large number of "disingenuous" LICENSED auctioneers around PA & the USA. Having a license does not confer honesty. The law is really a way to increase $$ to the state as well as a likely payoff to auctioneer group lobbyists who are upset that their exclusive club can be bested by 'anybody' making a living selling items on ebay. Also, how many auctioneers do you think are fed up with disgrunteled customers angry that they feel their item was undersold by the auctioneer citing ="It goes for $X on ebay!".
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fritz slusser said 3:49PM on 1-31-2008
you are an idiot charles, that law is to generate money for pa. if people could spend 25 grand for this kind of thing they wouldn't have to take a jod working for ebay would they. what's the matter hon? lose your auctioners licence or something?
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edandroxann said 3:55PM on 1-31-2008
Do you need a license to have a garage sale? Basically the same as selling on ebay! What next?I may get fined for leaving this comment without a license!
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renee said 3:59PM on 1-31-2008
Charles must work for the state of PA. It's the same thing as a yard sale, just online. I agree that the government just wants a cut.
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Stewart said 4:08PM on 1-31-2008
I think Charles made some interesting points but lost me with the absurd statistics. Advice to Charles, people are less inclined to take you seriously when you distort facts. I have no idea what the real percentages are but common sense tells me the stats you present are wildly inaccurate. I do however think that licensing may bring down the number of out and out frauds as at least it is another way to verify the identity of the seller.
Stewart
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Natalie said 4:13PM on 1-31-2008
Charles, you my dear friend, are an idiot.
How can anyone say that she should spend 10 years in prison for trying to stay home to care for her daughter who has cancer?
Ebay is ebay. Like it or not.
And I would like to mention - that I buy and sell many things on there that are NOT stolen or counterfeit. Just things that I don't need/use anymore that someone else might want. What's wrong with that?
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tsk-tsk said 4:16PM on 1-31-2008
Charles seems to have a total lack of compassion and kindness for his fellow man. The article says she was working at home in order to care for a daughter who was diagnosed with cancer. Charles believes it would really be beneficial to make an example of a woman who probably already has enough problems with an ill child? At least she was working at a business to support her family instead of begging for donations on a blog.
May someone make an example of you when you're in the worst time of your life, Charles!
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tim said 5:03PM on 1-31-2008
I think they should waterboard her for violating the rules. Torture and Cruxifiction should occur also. Seriously, Pennaylvania needs a life.
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Rebecca said 5:08PM on 1-31-2008
I must add that this PA law requiring auctioneer licenses for ebay sellers is not for the average Joe that is selling Grandma's old china, it is for EBay Stores where you drop off your stuff and they post it and take a commission. I do however think this was started because unscrupulous licensed auctioneers were unhappy that they were no longer making a killing on selling old estates since people could now depend on these stores to sell the stuff for them.
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JENNGGA said 5:15PM on 1-31-2008
Poor Lady. I wish she had lived in another state - honestly.
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Frank said 5:29PM on 1-31-2008
Wow. 98.2 percent of the items being sold on Ebay are counterfeit or stolen. And here I was thinking they were just crap.
I suspect Charles was kidding.
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Tim said 5:36PM on 1-31-2008
Charles, you suck.
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Ann said 5:55PM on 1-31-2008
While I feel a bit sorry for the lady, I must say I have to side with Charles on the issue. Most of you sound like Ebay vendors, I dont know what grade, but I heard from an acquaintance that one lady was boasting how she sold a handbag for 20,000 dollars on Ebay, Most certainly counterfeit. All they sell is valueless junk, junk and more junk that nobody in their area cares for
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teacherdude said 3:30PM on 7-09-2008
Ebay has junk. So does the local flee market. But there are also great deals on good items. I buy and sell musical instruments. Some of the best I have ever purchased have been from Ebay for a very low price. You really need to check your stats before making dumb blanket statements like this.