It was like that scene in the 1999 movie The Thomas Crown Affair where dozens of identical bowler-topped, trenchcoat-wearing, briefcase-carrying decoys confuse art museum security guards while the master crook walks out with a priceless painting. Only this time the setting was the small-town streets of Monroe, Washington, just northeast of Seattle. The decoys wore long-sleeved blue shirts, yellow safety vests, eye protectors and ventilation masks. And the crook robbed a bank.
Lured by a Craigslist job ad promising $28.50 an hour city landscaping jobs to anyone who showed up properly attired, a number of unsuspecting prospective workers congregated outside the Monroe branch of the Bank of America. "We started wondering if guys were going to show up and shoot paint balls at us, or if we were about to be Punk'd and Ashton Kutcher was going to show up," said Mike Stevenson, an unemployed 30-year-old worker caught in the scam. "Turns out, we were set up as decoys for a robbery instead."
In the confusion, a man dressed in a lookalike costume attacked Brinks armored truck guards on the street in front of the bank during a money transfer. Disabling the guards with pepper spray, the robber grabbed a bag of cash and ran into the group of startled decoys. By the time bank guards and police got things sorted out, the robber had escaped. An FBI agent investigating the case told reporters the tactic was a first in her 15 years of investigating bank holdups.
This isn't the only time the popular online classified ad site has been used by criminals. In numerous recent incidents, 20 and 30-somethings responding to Craigslist ads for TVs, music equipment and other pricey electronics have been robbed by bogus sellers. After agreeing on a sales price for the advertised item, robbers lure unsuspecting ad respondents to a bogus address. As the individual exits his car, cash in hand, robbers attack.
The possibility of scam and fraud is something everyone needs to be aware of, particularly as we move into the holiday gift-buying season. When the economy is tight, more financially desperate people turn to crime. Prudent purchasers should take precautions to protect themselves against robbery, theft and fraud.
Robbery is a serious and violent felony under California law and is punishable by state prison. More serious than theft or burglary, robbery involves violent person-to-person confrontation and the use or threat of force with intent to coerce or prevent resistance. Under California law, robbery carries a prison sentence of 3 to 9 years. Robbery is one of the crimes that falls under the state's tough Three Strikes Law which can double the length of sentences.
