Man uses Craigslist for getaway after robbery

Fri Oct 3, 2008 2:10PM EDT

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This is one of the strangest yet clever crimes I've ever heard of: On Wednesday, a man in Monroe, Washington posted job listings on Craigslist to hire men for a construction site, when in reality they were being used as decoys for a robber's getaway.

King5.com reports that the unidentified robber walked up to an open armored truck outside of a Bank of America and used pepper spray to disable the guard. The robber then grabbed a bag of money, ran on foot to a nearby creek, and used an inflatable tube to make his getaway.

Here's where things get interesting: The robber, dressed in construction clothes and a dust mask,  removed his clothes while on foot and used the unsuspecting construction workers as decoys to assist in his getaway.

Mike, one of the decoys, said that he was looking for a job online, and an ad promising a $28.50 wage caught his eye. After an email was sent, he was told to meet at that specific Bank of America location at 11 a.m. and was also required to wear a specific type of clothing.

"Yellow vest, safety goggles, a respirator mask… and, if possible, a blue shirt," he said.

Although the workers were confused when waiting for work at the job site, once they heard of the robbery, they realized that they had been hoodwinked.

The robber is still at large at this time.

This definitely isn't the first time that Craigslist has been used as a tool for crime, but what, if any, security measures do you believe should be enacted to prevent these types of events from happening? Let me know in the comments below.

In the meantime, hold everything on Craigslist with a grain of salt, because you never really know who's on the other side.

King5.com - Armored truck robber uses Craigslist to make getaway

Comments on Man uses Craigslist for getaway after robbery

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  • 4 Posted by alan_r_cam on Thu Sep 3, 2009 2:49PM EDT Report Abuse

    Oh, puh-LEEZE. Show a little common sense, for Buddha's sake ! IF the robber had posted an ad in a Conventional Newspaper, with a (disposable) mobile phone as the contact number.... HOW would the outcome have been any different? This "blame the Internet" attitude is ridiculous.

  • 5 Posted by iridium190 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:24PM EDT Report Abuse

    Reminds me of "The Red Headed League" from Sherlock Holmes. Nothing new under the sun.

  • 6 Posted by die_jobu_die on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:43PM EDT Report Abuse

    At the very least I would've assumed the guy was hiring people under the table. If you're dumb enough to take that road, you deserve to be had.

  • 7 Posted by odogxb on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:43PM EDT Report Abuse

    I have to give the bank robber props on this. No one else thought of this and this guy is smart in a way. It's not good to have your hard earn money stolen from you, i would be pissed. But the guy was smart he planed it to where it worked at his advantage and so far got away with it. If this guy could do this why does our government suck on finding killers, and occult groups

  • 8 Posted by brentgrab on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:12PM EDT Report Abuse

    you can't put the blame on 'craigslist' this could of happened anywhere. craigslist is a GREAT tool if used properly.

  • 9 Posted by icfcsc on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:22PM EDT Report Abuse

    Real clever,But crime dont pay!Even in times like this !You get buy, but he wont get away.

  • 10 Posted by icfcsc on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:22PM EDT Report Abuse

    Concider this as creative,finaning.

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