cruel hoax:

[Brock Samson]

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,341089,00.html

  Oregon Man's Home Ransacked After Craigslist Hoax

fox news link...


The ads popped up Saturday afternoon, saying the owner of a Jacksonville home was forced to leave the area suddenly and his belongings, including a horse, were free for the taking, said Jackson County sheriff's Detective Sgt. Colin Fagan.

But Robert Salisbury had no plans to leave. The independent contractor was at Emigrant Lake when he got a call from a woman who had stopped by his house to claim his horse.

On his way home he stopped a truck loaded down with his work ladders, lawn mower and weed eater.

"I informed them I was the owner, but they refused to give the stuff back," Salisbury said. "They showed me the Craigslist printout and told me they had the right to do what they did."

The driver sped away after rebuking Salisbury. On his way home he spotted other cars filled with his belongings.

Once home he was greeted by close to 30 people rummaging through his barn and front porch.

The trespassers, armed with printouts of the ad, tried to brush him off. "They honestly thought that because it appeared on the Internet it was true," Salisbury said. "It boggles the mind."

Jacksonville police and Jackson County sheriff's deputies arrived but by then several cars packed with Salisbury's property had fled.

He turned some license plate numbers over to police.

Michelle Easley had seen the ad that claimed Salisbury's horse had been declared abandoned by the sheriff's department and was free to a good home.

"I can't stand to see a horse suffer so I drove out there and got her," Easley said. "The horse didn't look abandoned. She is in good shape for being 32 years old."

But it looked odd, so she left a note on Salisbury's door explaining the ad. She then decided to call to make sure the ad was legitimate when the second similar ad appeared.

"I feel bad because I was a part of it," Easley said. "It felt right to call the police."

Fagan praised Easley's honestly but said prosecution was likely for anybody caught with Salisbury's property.

Items can be returned with no questions asked, Fagan said.

Detectives have contacted Craigslist's legal team to try to trace the ad.

Meanwhile, Salisbury could not even relax on his porch swing.

Someone took it.   

[Old Moparz]

Sounds like a pretty nasty thing to do to someone, but I can't help think that he may have screwed over someone in the past & it came back to bite him in his a$$. Maybe he's one of those less than honest contractors like the one who "almost" sold my mother in law 3 new vinyl windows & a 25 foot gutter for $3500 15 years ago. 

[bull]

Wow, that's messed up. I've heard of guys messing with their buddies by posting classified ads for cheap classics they didn't own just to inundate them with phone calls but this is over the top.

[sick dawg]

It's hard to believe people just show up and start looting his house.

[Khyron]

it's hard to believe....

but kinda.... in a sick way... funny.

It's funny that even though he shows up... and tells people that it wasn't true that they hold up the print and says they can do it anyways...

[Charger_Fan]

It's probably a good thing he didn't have a gun on him at the time, or he would be out of ammo now...

Man, the stupidity of people amazes me sometimes.   I hope they find whoever made the ad.

[1969chargerrtse]

It's hard to believe people just show up and start looting his house.

               

[Highbanked Hauler]

Sounds like a pretty nasty thing to do to someone, but I can't help think that he may have screwed over someone in the past & it came back to bite him in his a$$. Maybe he's one of those less than honest contractors like the one who "almost" sold my mother in law 3 new vinyl windows & a 25 foot gutter for $3500 15 years ago. 

    That sounds like a logical explanation. Doesn't seem like some jerk would pick an address out of thin air.

[Brock Samson]

  I find more and more that there are pretty good reasons for things to happen as they do, even if I'm  not aware of what they are...
I bet this is some kind'a Karmic/come uppance type of Sit... 
  it's allways a revelation to hear the other side of a story...
 

[bull]

Ex wife? Nasty divorce? It is over the top so like you guys I can't help but think someone thinks he deserves this.