



You ever get that feeling something just isn’t right? When walking across an empty parking lot alone do you feel unsafe? Even in the day time? I’m not talking about that creepy left over Halloween there is Michael Meyers behind you even though there is nothing there feeling. There are always dangers out in this world and most of the time they are from unsuspecting people.

Even doing the most casual of things often leads to disastrous consequences. Have you ever sold anything on Craigslist? While millions of transactions go on without a glitch it only takes one time or the wrong person to make you regret ever placing that textbook on the site.

Craigslist has had more than its fair share of issues. But when it comes down to it Craigslist is a pretty scary place and the site isn’t doing much to make it any better.

There have been over 58 accused or convicted killers with 45 victims reported involving a Craigslist transaction since 2009. In fact, the term “Craigslist Killer” is now synonymous with any homicide where those involved met online with the first with the first being named so only as recently as 2007.

Sound like a lot? Here is a short list of those Killers:

Philip Markoff

Philip Markoff answered a Craigslist ad for massage services, met a masseuse/former call girl, and killed her, becoming known as the “Craigslist killer.”

Miranda Barbour and her husband, Elytte Barbour

Miranda Barbour, 19, and her husband, Elytte Barbour, 22, stabbed and strangled Troy LaFerrara in Pennsylvania, after he responded to her ad for ‘female companionship’ last November.



Richard Beasley and Brogan Rafferty.

Richard Beasley, 53 a self-styled street preacher was convicted of the murder of three men he lured to his Ohio farm by posting bogus job offers on Craigslist helped by teenager Brogan Rafferty which was sentenced to life in prison with no chance for parole for his role in a deadly plot to lure men desperate for work with phony Craigslist job offers.

Michael John Anderson

Michael John Anderson, a resident of Savage, Minnesota, was convicted of having murdered Katherine Ann Olson in October 2007.

Dao Xiong

Youa Ty Lor from St. Paul, Minnesota wanted to sell his Nissan 350z so he posted it on Craigslist. He was contacted by Dao Xiong from Oakdale and the two arranged to meet in Lake Elmo for a test drive.

What Lor didn’t know was that Xiong was only interested in stealing the car so he could sell the parts.

Alexander Lyons and Lamar Clemons

In February 2011, a 19-year-old male from Michigan posted on Craigslist that he sought to buy a cell phone. Detroit resident Alexander Lyons, 19, responded and offered to sell an Android for $95. His accomplice, 23-year-old Lamar Clemons, drove Lyons to pick up a .380-caliber gun for their planned robbery. Instead of merely robbing his prey, Lyons shot him. Lyons and Clemons were both convicted of first-degree murder.

Alexander Lyons. Mug Shot

John Katehis

John Katehis is an American student who was convicted in 2011 of murdering George Weber, a popular radio reporter, in March 2009.Because Katehis met Weber through Craigslist,the media dubbed him a Craigslist killer, a generic term for murderers who find victims by placing or responding to ads in Craigslist.

Bernard George Lamp

An alleged prostitute, Bonnie Lou Irvine, was murdered after meeting Bernard George Lamp. She was doing so because he responded to her Craigslist ad. Lamp was caught driving Irvine’s Volvo and her body was found at his girlfriend’s house. Lamp met his girlfriend through Craigslist, too.

Korena Roberts

Korena Roberts was sentenced to life for murdering 21-year-old Heather Snively and cutting her unborn baby from her womb.

It seems simple enough, you get a message stating that somebody is interested in your product, you mutually choose a time to meet and the transaction takes place. There are some really simple common sense tips for being safe on Craigslist and we all know what they are but without having verified people using your site all precautions you take are sometimes not good enough.

In fact according to one author “This week alone, I have seen at least three stories of people being either seriously injured or killed when responding to an ad on Craigslist.” That is some really scary stuff!

R.I.P To College Students Who Lost Their Life On Craigslist

Katherine Ann Olson

Katherine Olson was murdered in October 2007. She had graduated from St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minneapolis ., the year before, and she was looking for work as a nanny near Minneapolis. The 24-year-old had used Craigslist to find jobs before. She turned to the site again, but things turned deadly. Olson’s body was found in the trunk of her own car by police.



Michael John Anderson, the man who killed 24-year-old Katherine Olson after she answered his ad for babysitting services on Craigslist, was sentenced to life in jail.



Aung Thu Bo

Aung Thu BO 19, was a Hamline University computer science student shot to death Aug. 10, 2012, after he responded to the killer’s Craigslist ad for a cellphone.



Justin Early

He was a college student and former Youth Leader loved by his family and friends. A 34-year-old man has been charged with the murder of 22-year-old Alliance, Ohio resident Justin Earley in what is speculated to be yet another tragic ‘fatal hookup’ case.

According to reports, Earley’s friends grew suspicious and filed a missing persons report when he failed to return home after meeting John R. Fox on December 29, via the classifieds section of Backpage.com. Alliance police Detective Lt. John Jenkins confirmed that Earley had posted ads on the website as “Tyler,” a “second-year college student…looking for men to have a good time with.” Both ads included his phone number.

Police say Fox also posted a similar ad on Craigslist soliciting men to come to his apartment that same day.

Garret Berki

Mesa College student Garrett Berki, 18, and his girlfriend Alejandra Faudoa, 18, answered a Craigslist ad for a $600 computer in the San Diego area, only to have their day end in mayhem.

Mr Berki was shot and killed, on May 20011 allegedly after trying to follow his attacker’s car to record their license plate number.

Three 17-year-olds are charged with the murder and for allegedly robbing the couple. Police claim they lured Mr Berki and Ms Faudoa to the Paradise Hills neighborhood of San Diego by posing as sellers of a computer on Craigslist.

William Alexander Apps, who is a law student in Charleston.

Investigators say the 25-year-old College of Charleston student and Beaufort Academy graduate was shot in the head and killed while showing his 2006 Chevrolet pickup truck to two Charleston-area residents who had responded to his for-sale advertisement on Craigslist.







Abdullah Alkadi

A student from Saudi Arabia at California State University Northridge, went missing from his home in the Los Angeles suburb on Sept. 17. Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck said on Monday that was the same day he was stabbed to death by a 28-year-old Long Beach man he had met through Craigslist.

Fun Facts For You:

Killers have been using personal ads (like Craigslist) to find victims since the 1800s. Don’t believe me?

Look up Belle Gunness, you’ll never believe what she did back in the day. Why haven’t we learned better yet? Better yet: why are sites like these still up and running? How unrealistic is it that we keep expecting bad things to happen to other people but never to us? I know it isn’t just Craiglist, there are chat rooms with the same issues, the problem is there are more people using this site and more importantly there is nothing being done on Craigslist to keep things like this from happening.

Here at Explorite we want you to be as safe as you can. We strongly insist that you meet in a public place like your campus quad or cafeteria. Never should you meet somebody in your dorm or apartment. It makes sense to follow some precautions, things like where you live are personal and not something that needs to be shared just to make a sale.

We have a list of what you should do when making a sale online period. Look it over, do you have any ideas to add?

1) Ask a lot of questions: Ask as many questions as you can before going to buy the product. If the seller can’t answer your questions, there is a good chance that he doesn’t actually have the product and could be setting you up.

2) Do your research on the product.

3) Meet in a public place – Criminals don’t want witnesses; meeting in a public place like a coffee shop or cafe can help ensure your safety. Most of the criminals online are looking for an easy target and are not very likely to rob you in a cafe full of people.

4) If it sounds to good to be true it probably is: A lot of these scams are pretty easy to spot. If the deal sounds to good to be true you are better off passing it up.

5) Never go to a second location – If you arrive at the predetermined meeting place and the seller asks to go to another place, this should raise some serious red flags.

6) Inspect the items before completing your purchase.

7)Don’t go alone.

8) Ask for plenty of photos of the item in question. Especially electronics, make sure the screen is working and that it is the make and model specified.

9) Show up early: If you are meeting in a public location, show up early and scope out the area. Watch for the seller and make sure everything looks legit. If you have even the slightest concern that something seems out of place, trust your instincts and leave.

10) You should NEVER have someone over to your house to do the transaction.

When using our site we want you to know that your safety is our first concern. We always validate .EDU e-mail addresses to make sure users are who they say they are. Our system is set up so that your information is kept private. Your own personal safety is not a joke to us and it shouldn’t be a joke to you either. Be smart about what you are doing online. I know you want that roommate spot filled already but the risk is too great unless you take every precaution you possibly can.

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