Oh Baby! Craigslister Tries to Trade Infant Online
Ad offers baby to trade for car
craigslist.org
Let's make a deal! An Orlando Craigslist ad offered a "healthy" baby as a trade for a truck.
The Web is full of interesting trade offers but an Orlando Craigslist ad pushed the limits when a man tried to swap a "healthy" 6-month-old child for a vehicle.
The offer started with a man, calling himself Alex, trying to sell or trade the tot for a truck, SUV or sports car. It ended when a sharp-eyed granny alerted the cops.
Vonda Szczepaniak says she uses the site for just about everything, but was shocked when she came across the outrageous ad.
"I clicked on it and my head just started spinning," Szczepaniak told WESH. "'I have a 6-month-old baby for sale and will also entertain most trades.'"
Szczepaniak came across the ad while searching for a stroller for her grandson. She decided to respond to the ad to see if it was serious, and "Alex" wrote her back with another option.
"'I'm also considering boats, as well. Thank you,'" she said he told her. "I'm thinking, 'Are these people crazy? Is this a joke?'"
Now the Seminole County Sheriff's Office is involved, trying to track down where the posting was made.
"It's unheard of to think someone would actually have the intent to sell a 6-month-old baby on Craigslist," said Kim Cannaday, of the SCSO.
Craigslist removed the ad and released a statement yesterday.
"The misuse of Craigslist to facilitate criminal activity is unacceptable, and we are working continually to prevent it. Craigslist is an unwise choice for criminal acts, since an electronic trail is inevitably created, which law enforcement can easily follow," the statement read.
Posted Monday, Jul 13, 2009 - 8:08 PM EST
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