Another downside to craigslist cruising: Extortion

June 8, 2010 in Craigslist, Harassment by Trench Reynolds | 1 comment

Asheville man charged with online extortion:

58-year-old Michael Harvey Oakley of Asheville, North Carolina has been charged with trying to extort money from a man who posted a personal ad on craigslist.

The article doesn’t say what kind of personal ad it was but let’s take a look at the circumstantial evidence. First the ad was posted in Ashville which is also called the Berkeley of the south. The personal ad was placed by a man and answered by another man. Oakley is accused of threatening to reveal sensitive personal information if his demands were not met.

It wouldn’t be unrealistic to think that the victim was possibly cruising on craigslist. If the victim does it fact lead a closeted gay lifestyle then that is his choice. However this is just one of the many risks people run by cruising for anonymous sex, gay or straight, on craigslist.

And just out of curiosity since I’m not a member of the gay community if I have any gay readers I’d like to know your opinion on this practice. I understand that there are people who are closeted or on the down low so to speak but I’d like to hear your opinion on this in general.

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  • Joeross Ross

    I answered a reply mid April ’11 someone asking for a Philly Mentor. I replied and got an ‘I am 15..” to which I replied ‘..will do nothing illegal..’ He began telling me (several emails) how he didn’t know what to do about his gayness, afraid of his parents finding out, etc. I told him some of the things he could look forward to and he should get counseling. Lots of banter went on then I get a mail from “his brother’ (said he was 22) and threatened me with police, his family, my facebook friends etc. He wanted $300. I told him to go ahead and tell everyone and that I was calling the Gainesville, GA police..I found out that he was in Gainesville..that’s where his wireless sent the messaage from at the initial POC. I emailed the Hall County Sheriff’s Office and the Gainesville police, told them everything. The guy lowered his ‘price’ to $170 a short time earlier. The police told me that this was most likely one person doing this. A lot of coincidental happenings occured such as th4 ‘bad’ brother’s answering one of my mails to the “boy” and his instant return note from a different email…to fast. The perpetrator is CALEB MORGAN…at least that is what ‘he’ claims. CAREFUL OUT THERE FOLKS! Presently I am assisting the police by voluntarily making phone calls to every person in the Gainesville area with the Morgan last name.

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