Oregon Man Loses Belongings Via Craigslist

By Joseph Friedrichs, 3-24-08

Two prank postings last weekend on Cragslist.com resulted in an Oregon man losing most of his personal possessions.

The ads popped up Saturday afternoon, claiming the owner of a home near Medford was forced to leave the area suddenly and his belongings, including a horse, were free for the taking, the Mail Tribune reports.

However, the man, Robert Salisbury, had no plans to leave. In fact, Salisbury was relaxing at a lake in southern Oregon when someone called him to make sure it was OK to take his horse. During his rush home, in a scene that could have com right out of “The Grapes Of Wrath,” Salisbury stopped a truck loaded down with his work ladders, lawn mower and various other pieces of equipment.

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

Not only did the driver of the truck refuse to turn over the belongings, he also sped away in cloud of dust.

Upon arriving home Salisbury was greeted by nearly 30 people rummaging through his barn and front porch.

It’s like I’ve always said: Beware the power of the Internet.