So you're saying that no one should assume any ad placed anywhere is valid? What about the responsibility of the ones placing the ad? How about those who are making money off the site?
If you passed a house in a neighborhood that had a sign up that said “take what you want. Everything is free.”
Not quite the same thing. The operators of Craig's list are making money off running the site. One could easily assume the ads placed are being vetted.
>>So you’re saying that no one should assume any ad placed anywhere is valid? What about the responsibility of the ones placing the ad? How about those who are making money off the site?<<
You know the ad is valid because there is FOLLOW UP COMMUNICATION BETWEEN YOU AND THE PERSON THAT RAN THE AD. I have NEVER acted on an ad without some sort of follow up communication.
Regarding those that make money off the site: If I rent a car from avis and use it to go to and get away from a bank robbery should avis be responsible because they made money off me?
Did craigslist make money off the ad in question? Trust me, they ones they get money from are quite legitimate and traceable. The others are a free service that I DO NOT want removed because someone found a way to use it to harm others on a VERY rare basis. I like driving my car even though some numbsculls crash their cars regularly, sometimes killing people.
Life is risk.
>>One could easily assume the ads placed are being vetted.<<
Only if they are a complete idiot or really, REALLY lazy.
Choose any category of Craigslist and this is what you are offered:
http://www.craigslist.org/about/scams.html
I repeat my first sentence.